Tony's Legacy
by Glow60
Summary: Gibbs gets a chance to get Shannon and Kelly back and all he has to do is make a simple wish but it will cost him dearly. WARNING Major Character's death or is it?
1. Chapter 1

**Tony's Legacy**

By Glow60

Summery

Gibbs gets a chance to get Shannon and Kelly back and all he has to do is make a simple wish but it will cost him dearly. WARNING Major Character's death or is it really?

_**Chapter 1**_

Gibbs watched as DiNozzo and McGee headed toward the front of the small warehouse. Both agents had their guns drawn. Tony signaled to Gibbs that they were ready. The senior agent moved toward the back with Ziva following closely behind him. They were halfway around the building when they heard sounds of gunfire. Gibbs and Ziva picked up their pace. They saw two men running out the back of the building. Gibbs identified himself and yelled for the men to stop but they started firing at them. Ziva and Gibbs returned the fire and brought both men down.

While Gibbs stood guard Ziva checked for a pulse on both men and found none. Gibbs tried to contact DiNozzo and McGee but he wasn't getting anything. He pulled out his cellphone and called for additional help and to have an ambulance on standby. Gibbs looked at the door and signaled Ziva to follow him. He was wondering what happened to his two agents they should have met up or contacted them by now.

As they entered the building it was very quiet. It didn't take them long to find McGee. He was in some kind of janitor's room. The younger man had been shot in the shoulder and was barely conscious. He was holding a towel against his shoulder to stop the bleeding.

"Boss, I'm sor…sorry."

"McGee, you know what I told you about apologizing? What the hell happened? You were not supposed to go in the building until I signaled you both. Where is DiNozzo?"

"Boss, we were…waiting…like you told us…but…a man came around the corner of the build…ing. He started firing. We…we had no choice but to go inside. We got…caught in a cross…crossfire. I got shot…managed to escape. Af…after I got shot, Tony hid me…in here. He told…me to keep…keep quiet. He went to the door. He…he left…a few seconds later…I heard more gun shots."

Gibbs looked up at Ziva, "David stay with McGee. Contact Walters and tell him we need the backup in here NOW. We can't allow any medical personnel in this building until it is secured." Gibbs left the room to go look for his missing agent. It took him a while but he finally found the younger man lying in a pool of blood. Gibbs knew in his heart that nobody could survive with that much blood loss. He slowly moved closer and bent down to check for a pulse. He couldn't find one. Gibbs closed his eyes. He couldn't believe this was happening to him again. He couldn't believe he had lost another person who he cared about a lot. "DiNozzo, I am so sorry."

Gibbs didn't notice the man behind him. Within seconds everything thing went black.

A couple of hours later, Gibbs woke up in the hospital. At first, he was having trouble remembering how he got there and then it all came back. He looked around the room. McGee was lying in the bed next to him. The younger man's shoulder was bandaged. He looked like he was sleeping. Abby was sitting by his bed crying. Ziva stood by the window as if she was guarding it. The senior agent could tell she had been crying too. Ducky was sitting next his bed. He smiled when he saw Gibbs open his eyes.

"Jethro it is so good for you to join us."

"D…DiNozzo?"

Ducky pulled out his handkerchief and wiped a tear from his eye. "He is at NCIS. Young Mister Palmer is with him right now. He didn't want our dear Anthony to be alone at the moment."

"Ducky, can you call…"

"I already have. Anthony's father will be here tomorrow."

"What happened to the bastard who hit…hit me?"

Ziva moved closer to the bed, "I know you told me to stay with McGee but Agent Balboa and his team arrived. You were gone for a while and I…had to find out if you were okay or not. I…I also needed to find out what happen to Tony. It was a good thing I went to look for you because the man who hit you was going to kill you. I got him before he did."

"Good...good." He closed his eyes. He was just too tired and weak to stay awake. He drifted back to sleep.

The next few days, visitors were coming and going. Senior stopped by but he didn't have much to say. McGee was released from the hospital on Wednesday. He was going to be staying with Abby until he could take care of himself without any help.

On Thursday, it was Gibbs turn to be released from the hospital. Ducky took his friend home and just dropped him off. He knew Gibbs wanted and needed to be alone for a little while. The M.E. would check on him later that day. As soon as Gibbs enter his house he went to his desk and pulled out a large manila envelope that he kept for DiNozzo. The younger man had given it to him a couple of years ago just incase something was to ever happen to him. When he opened it, he found DiNozzo's will and some letters. Tony had willed most of his stuff to his friends at NCIS. He had requested that he was to be buried next to his mother. The memorial and funeral would to be held in New York.

There was also a personal letter addressed to him. He debated on if he should open it or not. He decided to go ahead and open it. He couldn't help but grin when he started reading it.

_Boss, _

_If you are reading this letter then it means your loyal St. Bernard (meaning me) will no longer be around to protect your six. I know you will still have Probie and our ninja chick but I hope you will miss me protecting you, right? __Please and I really mean please don't let Ziva tell everyone that my __dying words were __I've seen this film__. I have never seen myself dying in a movie. So, I never really saw this coming._

_Leroy, I hope I can call you that without getting a head slap? Wait…what am I talking about you have already threatened to head slap me into hell if I should ever die on your watch. Oops sorry about that Boss. I guess I just didn't listen._

_All joking aside Boss, the reason for this letter is to let you know how much I appreciate all the things you have done for me over the years. I know I was a handful but you never gave up on me like so many people have done in the past. I also know you took a lot of flak when you first hired me because most people thought I was just a loudmouth spoiled rich kid who always got his way. Nobody has ever shown me the love and caring you have over the years or taken the time to help me understand that there is more to being just family by name. Don't get me wrong I do love my father but he was never really there for me. He is who he is. Until I met you I never knew what it was like to have a family or a place to call home. I really never knew what I was missing. If I had one regret in my life it was that you were not my father. _

_Lastly, I tried my best to come up with a good ending to this letter and the only thing I could think of was that song Roy Rogers use to sing. You know the one at the end of the show. Yes, I use to watch old reruns of Roy Rogers. You remember it don't you? Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again._

_Love Tony_

Gibbs held the letter to his chest. He had only cried four times in his life. The first time was when he mother died. The second time was when his daughter was born. The third time was when both Shannon and Kelly died. The fourth time was for the son he had just lost.

_**Memorial Services…**_

When they arrived at the church, they were surprised to see a lot of their fellow colleagues. Gibb was especially surprised to see Fornell and a few FBI agents including Ron Sacks.

Fornell walked up to his old friend. "Gibbs, I have been undercover and didn't get word until yesterday. I stopped by your house but you were already left. I am so sorry to hear about your boy. He was a pain in my butt but I always liked the kid."

Gibbs didn't say anything as first. The two old friends just stood there watching as the people were going inside the church. It was Fornell who turn and looked at his friend, "Believe it or not? Several of my agents, including Sacks, insisted on coming to pay their respects. DiNozzo drove them crazy when they had to work with him but he always gave them a good laugh at the end of the day. My people wondered how you could keep a straight face like you did when you were around your boy."

Gibbs couldn't hold back the grin; "Tony was that pesky little brother you wanted to kill but at the same time would kill anyone who tried to hurt him." Fornell just laughed.

The church was packed with family, friends, frat brothers and just about every representation from every law enforcement agencies you could think of. Near the end of the memorial the priest asked if anyone wanted to come up and share his or her memories of Anthony DiNozzo Junior. There were so many people who wanted to stand up and talk about him, some laughed and some cried. Even Agent Sacks got up and talked about the time he first met Tony and how he ended up interrogating him. Sacks told them when the interrogation was over and he walked out wondering who interrogated who. Everyone was laughing.

Gibbs was the last person to speak. He looked out at the audience and tears started to fall down his cheeks. "I am here…here today to honor the life of Anthony DiNozzo JR. I…I am sorry." He wiped his eyes and walked right out of the church.

It was late in the afternoon when Gibbs finally arrived home. He was very tired and decided to just go lay down for a while. He was having trouble sleeping. Around midnight he got up to make himself some coffee. He took his coffee outside. He sat out on the back porch and looked up at the sky. "Shannon and Kelly if you can hear me please take care of my boy. He can get a little off track now and then but he is really a good person. Just give him a little slap on the back of the head and he be okay." He took a slip of coffee and kept looking at the stars. A few minutes later, he saw a shooting star. He smiled when he remembered Kelly and him sitting out on the very same porch watching the stars. Kelly claimed the shooting stars were all hers. She wanted all the wishes. He smiled because he could still remember it as if it was today.

He closed his eyes, "I wish I may I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight."

When he opened his eyes, his daughter was standing there right in front of him.

"Kelly?"

She smiled, "Daddy, I told you they are all mine. You can't wish on them. I am just kidding Daddy. I can't stay too long. Mommy is waiting for me. I have come here to tell you, you have your wish but you must use it wisely."

"What?"

"Daddy please don't say anything but just listen to me. You have your wish but you need to use it wisely. Think about it. Who would you like to bring back? You can bring back any of your love ones by simply making a wish."

"A wish?"

"Yes, think about what you want to wish for and then make your wish. It will come true. I promise you but I must go now. Bye Daddy, love you." She kissed him on the cheek and vanished before his eyes.

Gibbs just set there for a while. He was trying to figure out if he really saw what he saw or was he just dreaming. He smiled to himself. If he had one wish what would it be? Would he bring his wife and child back or DiNozzo? He also thought about Kate and Jenny. He loved them but not like his loved his wife and child. DiNozzo was like a son to him. Maybe if his wife and child were still alive maybe DiNozzo would never meet him and get kill. He closed his eyes and made the wish. He smiled when nothing seemed to change. He almost felt a little foolish. He was so glad nobody was around. He walked back into the dark house and went to sleep.

The next morning the light from the window hit his face. He could smell coffee. He didn't remember setting the timer on the coffee maker but maybe he did. He couldn't take it anymore he had to get up and get him some. He walked into the kitchen and had the shock of his life.

"Hey sleepy head. What do you want for breakfast?

"Shannon?"


	2. Chapter 2

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I do really appreciate them and they sometimes help me to decide which direction I will go with a story. This story is at the beginning stages and I have several options that I am working on. So, it will probably be Friday before I post the 3rd chapter. I hope you like.

_**Chapter 2**_

At first, Gibbs couldn't believe what he was seeing and then he remembered the late night visit from his young daughter. Kelly had told him he could make a wish and bring back any love one but he must use his wish wisely. So, he had wished Shannon never met the Mexican drug dealer Pedro Hernandez. He knew in his heart if Shannon had never met the man both his wife and daughter would be still alive today. They would have never died in the damn car crash.

He grinned the wish had worked because right at this very moment, his beautiful wife and what looked like an older version of his daughter were sitting at the kitchen table. This Kelly wasn't a little girl anymore; she had grown into a beautiful young woman.

Shannon smiled as she spoke, "Honey, you are going to have to go to the store later this morning and get some more eggs and bread. I just used up the last of eggs making breakfast for our visiting college daughter."

Kelly laughed and winked at him. "Mommy, you know Daddy likes your French toast too. Don't you, Daddy? Besides, he can have some of mine. You made me more than enough."

Gibbs knew he must have had a stupid grin on his face as he sat down at the table. At first, he wasn't sure what to say or do. Both of his girls were alive and in the kitchen having breakfast together. Kelly moved two of her French toast over to his plate. "Sorry, Daddy but I was hungry and you know how much I love Mom's French toast. Ever since I started college, I have really missed her cooking. The food there is nothing compared to the food I get here."

As Shannon was pouring his coffee, "Leon called."

"What did he want?"

"He said there was some kind of problem in LA and he was going to have to be there the first thing in the morning. He says he is sorry but he needs you to fill in for him while he is gone. He will call you later today and go over a few things with you before he leaves."

"Great, I was really hoping to spend some time with my two beautiful girls."

"Oh Daddy, you always say the nicest things. Now, we do have today together, so what do you like to do?"

Gibbs didn't want to do anything but spend the rest of the day with his wife and daughter just sitting around and letting them do most of the talking. It was such sweet music to his ears and he didn't want them to stop. Shannon talked about her job at the hospital and that she might be getting a promotion and a raise. Kelly talked about her classes and her new boyfriend. It was the only time Gibbs spoke. He wanted to know all about her boyfriend. She laughed and promised him the next time she comes for a visit she would bring him here so they could meet him. She also warned him not to scare her boyfriend away like he did the last time.

The next morning Gibbs went into work early. He was wondering what and who he was going to find working there. What differences were there going to be because both Shannon and Kelly are now alive? If both his girls existed then he must have made some different choices in life. So, he knew there had to be some changes. He just hoped there were not that many. The first thing he noticed when he entered the bullpen was a stranger sitting at McGee's desk. Gibbs looked at the nameplate and it said Agent Jason Brooks.

"Good morning, Boss. I got in early to finish up my report on the Williams' case. I…I thought you were going to take a couple more days off since your daughter is home for a visit?"

"I thought so too but I will be filling in for Vance until he gets back from LA. Tell DiNozzo I need to see him when he gets here."

"DiNozzo?"

"Do I stutter Agent Brooks?"

"No Boss…but who is DiNozzo?"

Gibbs just realized that maybe in this world DiNozzo never worked for NCIS. "I…I have a friend that might be coming by later. If he does just let me know when he gets here."

"Will do, Boss?" Brooks went back working.

Gibbs decided he wasn't going to say anything else until he looked into his files to see who works on his team and also worked in this building. He headed toward his desk to see what he could find. It didn't take him long to find out that he had an agent Brown and Myers who also worked on his team. They were out on an undercover assignment for the next couple of days. He checked and Ducky and Abby still worked at NCIS. He was surprised to find Gerald Jackson was still working for Ducky but there was no mention of Jimmy Palmer.

He headed toward Abby's lab. When he got there he was happy to hear and see not much was different. The music was not as loud but it was still her music. Abby was still Abby. Gibbs handed her a list. "Abby I need a big favor, I need you to look up some information on these people for me. See what you can find out on them. It would be great if you could have it for me by the end of the day. I would really appreciate it."

"Do these people have something to do with some new case you are working on?"

"No, it's for something else."

Abby smiled, "Okay…Need to know only…right?"

Gibbs just nodded. He then headed straight to Vance's office. He spent the rest of the day playing the director and trying to be careful not to say wrong things. It was getting late in the evening and Gibbs was getting ready to go home. He had just finished reading a report and was signing it when he noticed Abby standing in front of his desk. "Gibbs, it took me a little while but I finally got the information you wanted on those people. I have met Agent McGee. He works in the sub-basement with the computer geeks. He's a little too geeky for me if you know what I mean? I also found some newspapers clippings on Ziva David and that Detective DiNozzo I thought you might be interested in seeing. Tell Shannon and Kelly I said hi. Also, let Kelly know I got those concert tickets. So, it's a go on Saturday."

"I will. Thanks Abby you don't know how much I appreciate this."

"No problem Gibbs. See you tomorrow."

Gibbs put the folders into his carry bag. He didn't want to read the information until he was alone and nobody was around to interrupt him.

When he arrived at home, both Shannon and Kelly where in the kitchen. They had dinner waiting for him. Gibbs sat down and ate his dinner quietly. He let the women do all the talking. He just loved listening to his two girls. When dinner was finished Kelly volunteered to do the dishes. Shannon and Gibbs went into the living room to relax and watch a movie together. It wasn't long before Gibbs reached over and pulled his wife to him. They both started kissing. It had been a long time since he kissed those lips and found himself not wanting to stop.

After a few seconds Shannon had to stop him so she could take a breath. "Gibbs, don't forget Kelly is home and she could walk in on us."

Gibbs just grinned and kissed her again.

It wasn't long before Kelly came walking into the room. She grinned, "Hey you guys take it to the bedroom because I want to watch this movie."

Shannon and Gibbs both stopped what they were doing and laughed.

After the movie was over, Gibbs told them he was going to the basement and work on his boat. He grabbed his bag and headed downstairs. He sat his bag on the worktable. He slowly took the folders out of the bag and looked at them. He decided to look at Kate's first since it was one of the smaller folders.

_**Kate's Folder**_

He picked up her folder and began to read it. It appears; in this world Kate never did join NCIS. Gibbs was relieved to find out Kate was still alive and working for the secret service. She was working behind a desk these days. She was married and just had a baby girl about three months ago. There was mention of several awards and commendations. He was going to have to look her up.

_**McGee's Folder**_

McGee had a very impressive educational background and work ethics. Gibbs remembered reading the information when he first hired McGee. In the other life it was really Tony who first brought the younger man's computer skills and work ethics to Gibbs' attention. The ex marine really didn't want McGee on the team because he was too green and too much of a white collar working for him. He wanted someone out in the field he knew would watch his six and have the backbone to do it. DiNozzo had begged Gibbs to give the kid a chance. He promised Gibbs that he could toughen him up. Gibbs smiled when he thought of the young Italian's method of toughing up the computer geek. Sometimes it wasn't pretty but as the end, McGee made both Gibbs and Tony proud.

In this world, McGee had been working with NCIS for the last six years. Gibbs grinned when he saw the younger man was working in the same building except he was working in the sub-basement with the rest of the computer geeks. He remembered how much the younger man hated it that time Vance had sent him there. He couldn't wait to get back on Gibbs team.

Lastly, he read that McGee was married and was the father of two very small children. Gibbs was going to make it a point to stop by and see him..

_**Ziva's Folder**_

In this world, Ziva David never had the liaison position or worked as agent of NCIS. Her half brother Ari Haswari never tried to kill Gibbs. Jenny Shepard never assigned Ziva David to work on Gibbs' team. From the newspaper clipping he was reading, Ziva David was killed trying to protect her father from an assassination attempt on his life. They said she had taken the bullets that were meant for her father. It also mentioned that she was to be buried next to her sister. The clipping also mentioned that the head of Mossad Eli David now had only one living child left.

_**DiNozzo's Folder**_

Gibbs had spent ten years with the younger man and had already knew most of DiNozzo's past up until he joined NCIS. He now wondered what had become of he's young friend because in this world, it appears Anthony DiNozzo Jr. had never worked for NCIS.

The senior agent started reading through DiNozzo's files. During DiNozzo time as a detective in Baltimore he had earned several commendations for bravery. Major Frank Raimey had written in his report that Anthony DiNozzo was exceptional and one of the best detective that had ever worked for him. His arrest rate was one of the best. It also showed that DiNozzo had done a lot of undercover work and he was very good at it.

Near the end of the folder, he found several newspaper clippings. These were the ones Abby said she had printed out for him. Gibbs started to read them and it nearly broke his heart. They were dated two years after he would have met Tony if things had not of changed _"Missing Baltimore Detective's Body Found In City Dump.", "Young Detective Died Because Of Crooked Partner."_


	3. Chapter 3

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I do really appreciate them and they sometimes help me to decide which direction I will go with a story.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

WARNING: Some things in chapter maybe a little disturbing to some.

_**Chapter 3 **_

_**DiNozzo's Folder**__ (Continue)_

_**"Young Detective Died Because Of Crooked Partner."**_

Gibbs picked up the newspapers clipping. He began to read it. It stated today formal Baltimore Detective Danny Price agreed to testify against a well-known drug trafficker to get a reduced sentence. Because of the repeated threats on his life, Price had to be placed under FBI protection until the trial was over. Nobody including the FBI realized there was a hit placed on Danny Price's ex partner Detective Anthony DiNozzo. DiNozzo who was in no way involved with his partner's criminal act was just an innocent victim. His death was used as a warning to Price if he was to testify at the trial.

It further stated, one week ago Detective Anthony DiNozzo Jr. had vanished shortly after he left work. His frantic pregnant wife had called the police station because her husband had never come home. The Baltimore police immediately put a BOLO out on him and his car. All law enforcement agencies were on alert. It took a few days but the search came to an end with tragic results. Several employees who work at the city dump found the young detective's battered body. From the autopsy it appears Detective Anthony DiNozzo had been tortured and beaten to death. Detective Anthony DiNozzo leaves behind a wife who is seven months pregnant. Funeral Arrangements are pending.

"_**Missing Baltimore Detective's Body Found In City Dump."**_

Gibbs took one look at the clipping and put it down. He couldn't bring himself to read it.

_**"Murdered Baltimore Detective's Pregnant Widow Rushed To Hospital." **_

Gibbs picked up the smaller newspaper clipping and began to read it. Today, Mrs. Wendy DiNozzo had to be hospitalized once she had heard the upsetting news about her husband's body being found at the city dump. The doctor who was taking care of her stated that baby had to be delivered two months premature by C-section. The mother was doing fine but there was a very slim chance the baby was going to survive. The article also gave a list of banks if anyone wanted to make a donation to help the newly widowed mother and baby with their expenses.

Gibbs closed his eyes. How could I have wished for Shannon and Kelly to be alive when he now realized Tony would never experience what it would be like to have a family of his own? In the other world Gibbs had had some time with both his wife and daughter. He really enjoyed and cherished that time. It was the best time of his life and he would never forget it. He had hoped by bringing them back and not his senior field agent, Tony would have a chance to live if he stayed in Baltimore and never worked for NCIS. He never realized when he hired Tony in the other world; he was actually saving his young friend's life.

Gibbs thought back on the last conversation he had with his second in command in his basement.

_**Christmas…**_

"_Family and job. Two different cups."_

"_That's right."_

"_And… if I couldn't fill both, that was my problem… What if I can now?"_

"_Then get out of my basement; man up and move on."_

"_Like you have?"_

"_Don't be like me! … Learn from it."_

Gibbs stared at the newspaper clipping for the longest time. He kept thinking, in this world, Tony will never get to know his precious little son and the child never got to know his amazing father. Gibbs made up his mind as soon as he could he was going to find out what had became of Tony's little family. He needed to know if they were okay or not? Tony's son if he lived today would be around eight or nine years old by now.

_**The Next Morning…**_

Gibbs had fallen asleep around one in the morning. When he woke up he had breakfast with his wife and daughter and then headed off to work. Gibbs spent most of his morning either on phone conference calls with Vance or meetings with several of the department heads on ways to cut back on their department spending. It was this kind of work the ex marine really hated to do but he had promised Vance he would look into it for him. The director thought maybe a fresh mind could come up with some different ways to save some money.

It was late in the morning when he finally made his way down to autopsy. He had been wanting to see his old friend. He found Ducky sitting at his desk going over some paperwork. Ducky's assistant Gerald was finishing up with the autopsy.

"Agent Gibbs, what brings you down here? I didn't expect you down here. I thought our meeting wasn't until tomorrow?"

Gibbs was a little caught off guard when Ducky had called him Agent Gibbs. He wasn't sure if Ducky was angry with him or they were just not that close in this world. "You're right it's tomorrow but I heard you had a new body." Gibbs looked over at the body on the table. The investigator in him was starting to come out. "I have been tied up in meetings most of this morning. Whose the body?"

"Agent Balboa's team brought him in early this morning. His was Marine Sergeant Daniel Whitehead; the poor bastard was beaten to death. His buddy tried to convince Balboa that the sergeant here died from a fall off a cliff. The bruises on his chest and stomach are from being hit repeatedly with fists. There is no way those bruises are from a fall."

"Have you already talked with Balboa about it?"

"Yes, I just got off the phone with him a few minutes ago. He's going over to pick up Whitehead's buddy right now."

"That was quick…good work."

The M.E. looked up at the man. He could tell there was something on his mind. "Is there anything else I can help you with Agent Gibbs?"

It seems in this world he was not as close to the older man as he was in the other world. Something had changed but he didn't know what it was. Gibbs was going to have to be very cautious when he when talking to people especially the people he thought were his closest friends. He now realized if he was going to exist in this world without getting people suspicious he was going to learn more about himself. What were his differences? Did he ever meet and work with Mike Franks, Jenny Shepard or even Doctor Mallard? How did he start working for NCIS? He needed to know these answers and he needed to know them as soon as he could before he makes a big mistake.

It was late in the afternoon; Gibbs called Shannon to let her know that he was going to be late getting home and to not wait up for him. He needed to do some research on a case and it was going to take him a while. Gibbs headed over to the Navy annex building next door. He was hoping to find his answers in some his and maybe Mike Franks' old investigation records that were being stored in the building next door.

With the help of Agent Angela Smith, it didn't take him long to find what he looking for. Gibbs grinned; as it turns out in this world it was also Mike Franks who got him his job at NIS, which later will be renamed NCIS. It appears he and Mike Franks had both met back when he was an MP at Camp Lajeune in North Carolina. Mike had been investigating the death of a marine at the camp. Gibbs had helped him with the investigation. Franks was so impressed with Gibbs ability that the NIS agent wrote it in his report. Gibbs also found an old letter that he had written to Franks. In the letter he mentioned that his wife and daughter had wanted him to get out of the military. Also in the letter Gibbs had told Mike that he decided it was time for him to stay home with his family. He asked if the job offer was still open. He thought he would be a good cop.

Gibbs was surprised to find out that he never spent anytime in Europe but he did do a year in Russia. Shannon and Kelly had lived with him there during that time. It also appears he never did work with Jenny Shepard or Ducky. What also surprised him too was that Ducky had transfer to NCIS DC from Marseille, France a year ago. The longtime friendship just was never there.

When Gibbs finally got home that night, Shannon and Kelly had already gone to bed. Gibbs went into the kitchen and grabbed himself something to eat and a beer and headed down to the basement. As he ate Gibbs couldn't get his mind off of Tony's family. He wondered where they were now and if they were alive and safe? He remembered he had an ex marine buddy of his who worked at the police station in Baltimore. At least, he hoped his friend still worked there? He reached for his cellphone and called his buddy. "Hey Sam, this is Gibbs."

"Hey, Gibbs how's the wife and daughter?"

Gibbs grinned, "They're doing fine. How are Dora and the boys?"

"They are visiting her family right now. I got the whole house to myself for the next couple of days. Believe me I am really enjoying the quiet. Hey…what's up? I know you Gibbs. I know you got something on your mind. What can I do for you Buddy? I know, you would not be calling me this late unless something was on you mind."

Gibbs grinned, "Sam, I was wondering if you could tell me about a detective who used to work on the Baltimore Police Force years ago. I believe he worked there about eight or nine years ago."

"Sure Gibbs, what was his name?"

"Detective Anthony DiNozzo."

"Yah, I remember him. He was a really good cop. He…he was a fun guy to be around. Really knew his job. It was a crying shame about what happened to him. He didn't deserve it."

"Can you tell me what you know about him?"

"Sure, but why are you interested in him after all these years?"

"I met Detective DiNozzo about ten years ago on a case he helped me with. I was overseas when he was killed and didn't know anything about it until yesterday."

"DiNozzo was a good cop but he had a crooked partner. It was his partner who got him killed. Everyone was so busy trying to protect that bastard Danny Price that they didn't realize DiNozzo was in danger. He never stood a chance when those hit men got a hold of him. What they did to that poor kid was a shame."

"Sam, I read where he had a wife and child. Can you tell me what happened to them? Are they doing okay?"

"Well, right after those city workers found DiNozzo's body, the captain and the police chaplain went over to talk and comfort Wendy. One of the local news stations beat them to it. They started broadcasting it. Wendy was alone in the apartment and saw the broadcast. She took it hard and tried to kill herself with sleeping pills. If it weren't for the captain and Father John she and the baby would have both died that day. They called an ambulance and they were able to get her to the hospital in time. The baby was delivered two months early by C-Section."

"Sam, what became of Wendy and the baby?"

"Gibbs…I would like to tell you they are both doing fine but I can't. We tried our best to help Wendy but she refused every time. She said that she didn't want anything to do with us because we were responsible for her husband's death. She said the police and the FBI should have realized that her husband was in danger and he should have been put under protection just like we did with Price. You know what Gibbs? I really couldn't blame her for the way she felt. She was right, he should have been under police protection."

"Why wasn't he?"

"I have asked myself that question a number of times…I really don't have an answer. Anyway, it was exactly a year to the day of DiNozzo's death Wendy took her own life. Wendy left the baby at the daycare center. She never came back to pickup the baby up. The daycare workers called the place where she was working. Her boss went to check on her and got no answer. He called the police. When they found her she was laying on her bed. It appears she had taken an overdose of sleeping pills. Wendy was rushed to the hospital but it was already too late. They found a note she had left to her son. All it said was I am so sorry baby but I miss your daddy so much."

"What became of the child?"

"He was put into the system because nobody wanted him. They said he had too many health issues. Wendy had no family and DiNozzo's old man was a good for nothing. That bastard told the captain it would have been better for his grandson not to be born. He said there was no way he could take care of a sick child when he has to travel so much. Besides he never approved of his only son marrying that crazy woman anyway."

"Do you know what became of the child and where he is today?"

"Gibbs…I wish I could help you…but after he was put into the system we all lost track of him. Some of us tried to go see him but his social worker told us it would be better for him if we didn't. The child would get too attached to us and it would be upsetting and confusing for him when he doesn't see us anymore once he goes to his new home."

Gibbs was quiet for a few seconds. He knew he wasn't going to rest until he found out what had become of Tony's son. He thanked his friend and then hung up. That night he didn't get any sleep. He kept thinking about the small boy alone in this world. He wanted to make sure the boy was okay and happy. He wanted to make sure he had this boy's six…


	4. Chapter 4

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow.

I was able to get this chapter done sooner.

WARNING: This chapter does talks of CHILD ABUSE.

_**Chapter 4**_

_**A week passed…**_

Gibbs hated to see it happen but it was time for his daughter to go back to college. Kelly was studying to be a pediatrician at Stanford University and she still had a couple more years to go. The NCIS agent could never be more proud of his daughter. Kelly loved children and her dream was to help them. When she graduated from high school she had won a full scholarship to go to Stanford to help achieve her dream.

Shannon and Gibbs took Kelly to the airport. He watched as his two girls said their good-byes. Kelly turned to her father and smiled. He opened his arms and hugged her as tight as he could and kissed her on the forehead. "Don't forget you promised we will get to meet your boyfriend next time."

She smiled, "Oh Daddy I am going to miss you so much. Don't forget you also promised to not scare him away." She kissed him on the cheek and headed off to check in.

They stayed there until they could no longer see her. Shannon turned to him, "I already miss her." Gibbs reached over and hugged his wife. "I know I miss her too."

_**NCIS…**_

Monday came; Gibbs was so relieved to see Vance back in his office. The senior agent always preferred fieldwork to deskwork any day. He went over some of the new cases with Vance and also suggested what he thought would cut back on departmental spending. Vance seemed to be pleased with his recommendations and would take them under consideration. When Gibbs was finished he started to get up but Vance stopped him.

"Who have you decided to replace Myers?"

Gibbs was caught off guard with the question, "Myers?"

Vance just shook his head and grinned, "You haven't even looked at the applications I gave you? You know your agent only has a few more weeks to go and he will then be transferring to Aviano, Italy to take that promotion. Have you decided who will replace him? Gibbs…I do need an answer by the end of the day."

"Leon, I promise you, you will have my recommendation by the end of the day." Gibbs stood up and headed for his desk.

When he arrived in the bullpen, he found his team finishing up on their reports while he was up in the director's office. Brooks told Gibbs the undercover assignment was a waste of time. They would go over it with him when he had some time. The senior agent told them to continue what they were doing because he had something to take care of something for Vance first. He checked his messages and emails. There wasn't anything that could wait until later. He told his team where he would be if anyone were looking for him.

He found the applications in his desk drawer. He picked them up and headed to one of the empty conference rooms. He was relieved when he realized that he had already interviewed the applicants. He just needed to go through the folders and decide which one would be the best fit for his team. He grinned when he saw the name on one of the folders.

It appears, Agent Timothy McGee wants to transfer from the subbasement to his team. McGee wrote that past management had wanted him to work on special projects because of his computer skills. He would now like the opportunity to work out in the field before he gets too old to do it. It had always been his dream to become a field agent and it was he main reason for joining the agency. He feels he could be a good asset to the team with his knowledge and computer skills.

Gibbs closed the folder. He had made up his mind that he wanted McGee on his team. He headed toward Vance office with his choice.

Vance looked surprised.

"What's the matter? You did want me to choose didn't you?"

"I thought you only preferred cowboys on your team?"

Gibbs grinned as he was heading toward the door, "Sometimes the cowboys needs a little help from the computer geeks. Trust me, I know McGee will be a very good addition to my team."

Vance just sat there with a stunned look on his face.

Gibbs spent the next couple of hours with his team going over the failed undercover assignment and some of the cold cases they were going to working on. Around one o'clock he told them he needed to leave for a while. He would be back in about an hour or two. Call him if he was needed.

What he was about to do he wanted to keep from anyone who worked at NCIS. Gibbs had called ahead to let Fornell know he was coming. The FBI agent was sitting at his desk when Gibbs walked into his office.

"Jethro…what can I do for you?"

"Tobias…I need a big favor. I was hoping you could help me find out what became of a boy who was placed in foster care when he was just a baby. It was about eight years ago."

The FBI agent sounded a little puzzled and grinned slightly, "Might I ask, what is this kid to you?"

Gibbs just shook his head, "It's not what you think. I knew the boy's parents. They were good people. I just found out they are dead. They left behind a child and the child was placed in foster care after they died. I was hoping I could find out what became of the boy and I just want to make sure he is okay and that is all."

Fornell could tell his friend was serious, "Sure Gibbs…give me what you have and I will see what I can find out for you."

_**Three Months Ago Outside Baltimore…**_

_The boy had just finished all his chores. He was taking a little break by watching the mother dog play with her young puppies. The runt kept getting run over by its bigger siblings. The boy walked over and picked it up to move it out of the way so it wouldn't get hurt. He couldn't help but laugh as he put the little squirmy puppy in a safe spot. It was a few seconds he was hit hard on the back of the head and fell forward and landed on his knees. _

"_I have been calling you for the last five minutes. Why didn't you answer me and what the hell were you laughing at you little lazy good for nothing?"_

_The boy did not hear anyone calling him because he has been having a lot of earaches and trouble hearing lately. He wiped the tears from his eyes and didn't dare say anything because he knew it was only cause him more pain. He got up and kept his head down. He was afraid to make any eye contact with the much bigger man._

"_Did you finish your chores?"_

_The boy just nodded. "Good since you have finished your chores and you have all this extra time to laugh and play with the dogs I want you to go finish cleaning up the stalls."_

_The boy didn't say a word and headed inside the barn. He knew Jimmy was supposed to be cleaning the stalls. It didn't surprise him that Jimmy had not done one thing. He found the boy reading a comic book. He walked over and picked up the rake and started working. He knew Jimmy could get away with it because after all Jimmy was the Walker's real son. He was only a foster child. He was only here to help out on the farm. He really didn't belong to anybody._

_Jimmy's father walked into the barn, "Jimmy, your mom's got dinner ready."_

_Jimmy jumped up and headed toward his father. _

_The boy started to put the rake down but Jimmy's father stopped him, "No dummy, you stay here and finish cleaning the stalls since you had so much time free time to stand around and laugh."_

_The boy didn't argue he just went back to work. He knew tonight he would not be eating…_

_**Gibbs' Basement Present Time…**_

It was late in the evening; Gibbs was working on his boat. His cellphone rang. It was Fornell and he was finally calling him back with the information he asked for. "Gibbs, the boy's name is Anthony D. DiNozzo. He was named after his father. He will be nine this coming July. Right now, he is living in a temporally foster home just outside of Baltimore. It seems there was some kind of problem with the people who were fostering him for the past three years."

"What kind of problem?"

"Gibbs, do you really want to get mixed up in this kid. From what I read this boy has got a lot of problems."

"Tobias, what kind of problems? I need to know."

"From the report I have, it states that the Walkers are in a lot of trouble with the authorities for child abuse. It seems a neighbor of theirs was out surveying he land when he noticed the boy chained to a tree like you would tie a dog. He called the police and they came out. The boy was taken into protective custody. He was placed in a foster home until they finished with the investigation and decide what to do with him."

"What reason did they give for chaining him to a tree?"

"The Walkers claimed the boy steals from them when they leave him home alone. They didn't believe they did anything wrong. They were only going to be at the movies for a couple of hours. Can you believe that? The police took him to a nearby hospital. The doctor in the emergency room said the boy had been physically abused for a long time. There were a lot of old scars over the boy's body."

"Do you have the phone number of his social worker and the address where he is staying?"

"You're still going to see him, aren't you?"

Gibbs didn't say anything.

"Jethro, you and I have been friends for a long time. I know you and your family. Hell Shannon and my wife Diane are even best friends. What I am trying to tell you is before you get too involved with this boy, you need to talk with Shannon first. She should have a say in this."

"I already planned to do it." He thanked Fornell for his help and hung up.

Gibbs wanted to see the child even more now. He believed Tony's son needed him and he wasn't going to let Tony's child down. That night he talked to Shannon about the boy and how he wanted to help him. She knew when her husband made up his mind to do something there was nothing she could say or do that would stop him. She told him to call her if he needed her for anything.

The next day, he contacted Anthony's social worker Susan White. She at first tried to talk him out of seeing the boy but Gibbs convinced her otherwise.

He took Friday off so he could go see the boy. When he arrived at the foster home he was surprised to see a young boy sitting on the porch who was the spitting image of Tony. He knew immediately who this child was. He also could tell there was something just not right with the child. The boy looked too thin and too small for his age. He also would not make eye contact with him when he tried to speak to him. The boy just kept rocking in the rocking chair.

Gibbs turned and knocked on the door. A woman in her early forties appeared. "Yah, what can I do for you?"

"Mrs. Mary Parker?"

"Yes, that's me. You better not be a salesman because I am not buying anything?"

Gibbs smiled and showed her his badge and ID, "No ma'am. Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs I work for NCIS."

"Yes…Mrs. White said you would be coming by. What can I do for you?"

"Can we talk in private? I don't want the kids to hear us?"

The woman yelled to one of the older kids to watch the others. She opened the door wider and invited him in. The woman walked over to a basket of laundry and started folding some towels.

"Please excuse the mess it's not like this most of the time. I have had a lot of extra things to do lately and I haven't spent too much time cleaning up. Now what can I do for you?"

"Is the boy sitting on the porch Anthony DiNozzo?"

The woman just nodded.

"I would like to know how Anthony is doing?"

"That poor child has been in the system for almost eight years. Why do you care about him now?"

"I was a friend of his parents. I would like to know how he is doing. Is he okay?"

"Anthony is not okay. Agent Gibbs…I am sorry but right now I am very angry at how this poor child was treated. His previous foster parents should have been shot. They are why foster homes sometimes get a bad rap. Sorry…I just needed to say that. Right now, that poor child has some serious problems but I am not supposed to talk about them because of the foster parents pending trial. Maybe…you should talk with his social worker? She could tell you more about them anyway."

"Please…I need to know, what kind of problems are we talking about? I want to help him. I won't tell anyone we talked about this."

"They say the child is kind of slow, he hardly talks and he doesn't get along well with any of the other kids? The poor child has hardly said a word since he has been here. He is too scared to from what I could tell. They have a few more tests they want to run on him before they decide what to do with him…He can barely heard out of his left ear because of a busted eardrum. He has scars all over his body. I…I can tell you this most of that child's behavior is because of the way he was treated by his…so-called foster parents. No, child should have ever been ever treated that way."

Gibbs closed his eyes and said to him self, _'Tony since you can't be here to protect your child I promise you I will do it not matter what.'_

"Ma'am…If you don't mind, I would like to sit with him and try to talk to him for a little while?"

"Sure be my guest but I must warn you. He hasn't talked to anyone, especially men. I think he is a scared of them."

Gibbs spent the next hour or so with the boy. He made sure he sat on the right side of the boy so he could hear him. At first, it was more of a one-sided conversation with Gibbs doing all the talking. After a while, the man and the boy just sat there without saying a word.

After about an hour the boy spoke, "You…you said you knew my real dad…daddy?"

Gibbs smiled, "Yes, he was a really good man and a good friend."

"Did…you know my mom…my?"

"I knew your mom but not like I knew your dad."

"Billy said my…my mommy killed…killed herself and it was because she…didn't love me because…I was stu…pid."

"Billy shouldn't be telling you things like that. Your mother did love you and you are not stupid."

"Did she…did…she really kill herself be…cause of me?"

"Your mother left a note. The note was addressed to you. I know because I read it. It said that she was sorry but she missed your daddy so much. Your mother did take her life but it was not because of you."

He watched as the tears started to flow down the boy's face. Finally the boy says, "She…she must have loved my daddy more…more. She want…wanted to be with him and…not me…me."

Gibbs reached over and took the child into his arms. He hugged the boy until he stopped crying. It was at that moment Gibbs made up his mind; there was no way he was going to leave this precious child in the system alone without a family…


	5. Chapter 5

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

I do not claim to be an expert on adoption. So, please forgive any mistake I make.

WARNING: This chapter does mention CHILD ABUSE.

_**Chapter 5**_

Gibbs was now on a mission and it was to give Tony's son a place to call home…his home. Shannon had dinner waiting for him when he returned. While he was sitting there eating, he couldn't stop talking about the boy and how much the child needed them. He told Shannon of the boy's situation and how he wanted so badly to help the child. Shannon kept quiet while Gibbs did all the talking. The last time she heard her husband talk this much was when their daughter was born. She knew this boy had to be something special to get her husband to be such a chatterbox.

"Gibbs…you know we can't just walk into the foster home and take the child and call him ours. We are going to have to qualify first."

Gibbs at first thought his wife was trying to talk him out of it. "Shannon...I…we can't just leave that child there. He needs me…he need us. He's got no one to love or take care of him. He is…"

Shannon grinned, "Honey…I never said we wouldn't take him. I just said we are going to have to qualify first. There are things we are going to have to do. We are going to have to take classes, there are going to be inspections, background checks and lots of paperwork. It is going to take time before we can just bring him home and call him ours."

Shannon stood up and grabbed her husband's hand to make him follow her to the computer. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. She printed out two copies of everything. She handed one set of copies to her husband. They both sat there and read all the info.

Gibbs finally looked at his wife, "Shannon, I know it going to take some time and work on both our parts but I…I really don't see anything here that would stop us from adopting him." He hoped she wasn't going to try and stop him because if she did that would be it. There would be no way he could bring that child into his house without his wife's consent.

Shannon looked around and then smiled, "I believe there is plenty of room in this house for one small little boy. I do believe one of us should give up working and stay home with the child at least for the first year."

Gibbs looked at his wife. He hadn't thought about it but she is right. He knew his wife was up for a promotion and he couldn't ask her to stay home. "I have enough years in to retire if I want to. I could stay home with him."

Shannon smiled and reached over and kissed her husband, "You must really want this little boy so badly that you are willing to sacrifice the job you love so dearly but I am not asking you to do that. Gibbs, I would love to stay home and raise another child. You know I do love my job but it is only because I have nothing else to do. Honey…we have always wanted more children but I couldn't have them. If you remember back when Kelly was two years old we did talk about adoption but things got a little crazy and we never did get a chance to look into it. This will give me another chance to be a mother again. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Don't forget Shannon this child has a history of abuse?"

"Gibbs, it only makes me want to help him even more."

Gibbs just looked at her in amazement. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have a woman like her in his life.

Saturday morning Gibbs called Mary Parker and asked her if it was okay for him to bring his wife over to meet Anthony. The foster mother told him it would be okay because she had no plans to go anywhere that day. Gibbs and Shannon arrived around one in the afternoon. They both sat in the living room with Anthony. Shannon could tell the boy was very shy and scared because he would not make eye contact with either of them at first.

She watched as her husband moved to the right side of the boy and sat down next to him. She remembered Gibbs telling her the boy was hard of hearing in his left ear. She watched as Gibbs moved the boy's head so he would face him. She watched as her husband smiled and the little boy smiled back at him.

"Anthony, I would like you to meet my wife Shannon. I told her all about you and she wanted to come and see you."

The boy turned and looked at her and then back to Gibbs, "Why…why would she want…to…to see me? Is…she…here to make fun…fun of me…cause I am…stu…pid?"

Gibbs glanced at his wife who now looked like she was getting ready to cry and then he looked back to the boy. He shook his head, "No…No…she wants to meet you because I told her how special you are and Anthony…please don't make me have to keep reminding you that you are not stupid. The people who told you that only did it to hurt your feelings. I can tell from the first time I met you, you are smart. You just need to keep telling yourself that."

The boy turned and looked at the woman again. This time he smiled just a little.

Shannon returned the smile. She fell in love with the little boy when she saw those big beautiful green eyes. She knew this child had a lot of baggage but she also knew this boy had a special bond with her husband. She believed between her and her husband they could handle the baggage. She knew it wasn't going to be easy but they sure would give it one hell of a try.

Anthony's foster mother would ever so often peek into the room to see how things were going. She smiled she had a good feeling about these people. They had not mention anything to her about wanting the boy but she could tell by them just coming here what their plans were. She was going to do everything she could to see that the boy ends up with these good people. Anthony needed and deserve it…

_**McGee…**_

Monday was Agent McGee's first day on Gibb's team. Gibbs took McGee to one of the conference's rooms to go over a few things with him.

"Sir…I want…"

"McGee…do not call me sir, I work for a living. You can call me Gibbs or Boss. I don't care which."

"Yes sir…I mean sorry…sir…sorry Boss. Boss, I…I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a field agent. I really appreciate you…you giving me this…this chance."

Gibbs smiled at the younger man. It reminded him of the first time he talked with McGee. It was almost like old times but he knew it could never be. He will never have Kate, Ziva or Tony on his team. He missed them dearly.

_**The Quest To Adopt A Son…**_

Two weeks later, the Gibbs had an appointment with Anthony's social worker Susan White. They wanted to talk with her about adopting the boy. White agreed to meet them because she had already heard good things about this couple from Anthony's foster mother. She decided to do a background check on them before she met them. She was very impressed at what she saw. She knew this couple would be really good for the boy and he deserved to have a loving family.

When they arrived, she invited them immediately into her office. They sat down in the two chairs in front of her desk. She had offered them coffee but only Gibbs got up and took some. She sat there quietly and let them do all the talking about Anthony and why they would be good parents for him. When they were finished she went over the requirements and what he and his wife were going to need to do to make the adoption possible.

She also reminded them that the child they want to adopt has been both mentally and physically abuse. Right now because of the mental abuse, this child is going through consoling and he will need to continue doing it for a while. Physically Anthony is underweight, he has a lot of scars over his lower body from being hit with a very thick belt repeatedly. From the x-rays, he has had several broken bones. His foster parents told the authorities it was because the boy was so clumsy. Anthony does have a ruptured eardrum and loss of hearing in his left ear. It looks like they may need to do surgery on it if it doesn't improve. _At this very moment, Gibbs would have given anything to get his hands a hold of that bastard who calls himself a foster father._

Now that everything was laid out on the table, Susan White asked them if they still wanted to adopt the child.

Both Shannon and Gibbs nodded their heads. It was Shannon who spoke up, "Absolutely, we are in this for the long haul."

Susan White pulled out some papers from a folder and started going over what needed to be filled out. She was pleased to find out they had brought all the documentation they were going to need. They also had list of relatives and very important people who will vouch for their character and creditability.

When they were finished Gibbs asked if it was okay for them to continue to visit Anthony. She told them it would be fine as long as they always call ahead to let Mary Parker know they were coming.

After the fourth visit, Shannon and Gibbs would find the boy waiting for them by the window. He was still a little shy but he was starting to come a little out of his shell. It appears the Gibbs were just what was the boy needed.

Mary Parker was starting to brag to his social worker how well Anthony was starting to respond to other people around him. He was even starting to play with some of the other children. She could see the Gibbs would be good parents to the lonely child. She was doing everything she could to see that Anthony becomes their son.

Shannon and Gibbs were hoping they could take Anthony home for a weekend but before they could they were going to have to take a couple of classes in parenting. Gibbs thought it was kind of silly for them to take parenting classes because Shannon and he were already parents and their daughter turned out to be okay. Susan White explained to them that they were taking classes to help them to understand how to handle an abused child. This child will not react to normal situations. A word or some kind of innocent action on their part could cause the child to panic and this could damage the relationship they have already established. Both Gibbs and Shannon finally agreed to it. They were going to do whatever it takes to adopt Anthony.

Both Gibbs and Shannon kept the news of the adoption from most of their friends and family. The only people they told were their daughter Kelly, Gibbs' father and Shannon's mother. They did tell a few close friends they were using as references. Kelly was excited when she heard she was going to have a little brother. She knew her parents had always wanted more kids but her mom couldn't have anymore. Gibbs' father was also excited to have a grandson he could take fishing. Shannon's mother was a little worried about them taking in a child with problems. Shannon told her mother to not worry, the moment she meets her grandson she is going to fall in love with him.

For next few months Shannon and Gibbs were very busy going to work, spending time with Anthony, attending parenting classes and getting the spare room ready for its new occupant. Gibbs found out that Anthony liked blue so he painted the room blue. He also personally hand built Anthony's bedroom set. Shannon found out that Anthony liked sports so she purchased some matching curtains, sheets, pillowcases and blankets with a sports' theme. She also bought their future child a laptop, TV and DVD player for his room. She knew they were going to spoil him but they didn't care. It was about time someone did.

When they were finally finished with Anthony's room, they both stood back and admired their work. They both grinned at each other and could not wait for their future son to see his room.

Gibbs frowned and looked at Shannon, "There's something missing."

Shannon looked around, "Wait, I know what it is." Shannon returned within seconds with a photo of them and Kelly to put on the dresser.

Gibbs smiled, "Close but I have something even better in mind."

"Would you mind telling me what it is?"

"I am not going to tell you because I am not sure if it even exist. I need to see a friend of mine…"


	6. Chapter 6

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. As always I really appreciate them.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

I am not sure how you are going to take the chapter because it is going to get a little strange. I hope you like it?

WARNING: This chapter does mention CHILD ABUSE.

_**Chapter 6**_

The big day has finally arrived; Anthony was coming to live with them. Shannon had finally quit her job and Gibbs was taking two weeks off from work to spend time with his new son. They had wished Kelly could have been here for the big day but she wouldn't be coming home for another week. Shannon got up early and made breakfast for the both of them but they were too nervous to eat it. Shannon tried to keep herself busy by vacuuming the rugs for the fifth time while Gibbs went to work on his boat. It was around nine when Susan White pulled up in her car with the newest member of the Gibbs' family. Both Gibbs and Shannon were waiting by the door to welcome their new son.

Susan White stayed long enough to go over a few things with them and then she left so the three could start being a family. Shannon and Gibbs took their new son to see his room. Anthony's eyes lit up when he looked around his room. He had never had anything like this before. He thought this room was even better than the one Jimmy Walker had. He was never allowed to go inside the room but he did get to see it when he passed by it to go to his room. His room was much smaller and it had just a bed and dresser in it. This room, his room had a bed, dresser, laptop, TV and DVD player in. There was also a desk and a chair near the window. Both Shannon and Gibbs watched as the boy walked around the room. He looked at and touched everything. He stopped when he finally saw the picture of his new family and smiled at them. He turned around and thanked them.

Gibbs smiled and pointed, "We have some more things for you but they're in the closet."

The boy moved over to the closet and opened the door. He smiled when he saw a closet full of brand new clothes. He couldn't believe his eyes because he had always gotten hand-me-downs. When he was finished looking at them, he looked down and saw a huge box wrapped in sport's wrapping paper with a big bow on it. There was a note on it that said_ "Welcome Home Son" _

The boy didn't move but he continued to stare at the box. It was almost like he wasn't sure if he wanted to go near it.

After a few seconds, Gibbs became a little puzzled because he thought the boy would by now be so excited that he would try to tear open the box. When Anthony didn't move, Gibbs decided to pick up the box because he knew it was a little too heavy. He walked over and placed it on the bed. "Son, it's all yours. I hope you like it. It took me a while to find it."

The boy still didn't move to unwrap his present. He just continues to stare at the box.

Gibbs looked at Shannon. He now wonders if he had made a big mistake and upset the boy.

Shannon walked over to the boy and put her arms around him. "Sweetie…is something wrong? We thought you would like it. You know, you don't have to open it if you don't want to?"

The boy finally stopped focusing on the box and turned his attention back to him. "I…I am sor…sorry. I don't…don't know why but…but I…feel…feel…" The boy looked directly at Gibbs. "My…my Daddy's stuff…stuff is in there." It was not a question but a statement.

Gibbs and Shannon looked at each other puzzled. How could the boy possibly know those where his father's things in that box? There is no way he could have known that. Finally Gibbs says, "Yes, these were your father's things. Anthony, if you don't want to open it…you don't have to. I can put it up in the attic until you are ready to open if you want me to. If you never do then that is okay too."

The boy shook his head, "No…I am…sor…sorry. It's…it's not that. I…I like it. I want to open it. I want…to see them."

The boy moved closer to the box and began to slowly unwrap it. Inside was an Ohio State letter jacket, all kinds of sports trophies, awards, citations from Tony's time in the police force, his badge, an America flag, and several albums. Anthony pushed them all aside to look at one album that caught his attention. He took it out of the box and looked at the front of it. The cover had a picture of his father. Just right above the photo were the words _"Tony's Legacy"_. Both Gibbs and Shannon sat down on each side of him so they could look too.

Gibbs spoke, "I was told your mother Wendy started putting the album together right after your father died. She wanted to make sure you knew your father and what a great man he was."

The boy slowly opened the album. The first thing he saw was a picture of a man and woman smiling.

"That is a picture of your dad and mom. I talked to a friend of mine who worked at the same Baltimore police station where your dad was a detective at. He knew your dad and said he was a really good cop and so much fun to be around. Your dad always liked to make people smile. Anyway, I was trying to find a picture of both your mother and father together so you could have it in your room. I called my friend and he knew a woman named Susan who had been a good friend of your mother's. I went to visit her to see if she might have any pictures of your mom and dad.

Susan told me she had something a lot better than a picture. As it turned out she had been keeping this box for you all these years. She said your mother had given it to her and asked her if she would keep it for her because she didn't have enough room. She said your mother wanted to save all your father's things so you will have them to remember him by. After your mother died she opened it and saw what was inside it and didn't have the heart to throw it away. Susan wanted to keep it just incase you might show up one day to claim it. She thought it was something you should have. She also told me that if you ever want to stop by and visit her she would love to see you. She has a lot of stories to tell you about both of your parents."

Anthony smiled; it was the first time he had ever seen a picture of his real parents together. His new parents had shown him pictures of his parent separate but never with them together. He only had one baby picture of himself, which he had gotten from the social worker.

Shannon looked at the picture, "My…what a handsome couple they were. You look so much like your dad. I can tell you have his smile. I can also see a little of your mom in you."

Anthony continued to look at the album. He couldn't tear his eyes away from it. He slowly turned the pages to see more photos of his parents. There were also photos of his parents when they were children. There were some picture of them having fun at the beach. There was a picture of his mother looking very pregnant. His dad was pointing to his mother's stomach and he had a big grin on his face. Someone had written on the picture in a bubble, "My Boy!"

The boy couldn't help but grin. The next several pages had nothing but Anthony's mother showing off her stomach, as it kept getting bigger. The boy could see how happy his mother was. It made him feel good inside knowing his mother did love him.

There were also quite a few baby pictures of him. He stared at them for the longest time. He finally closed the album and looked at his new parents and thanked them both.

It was later in the day when all three were in the living room watching movie. Shannon and Gibbs were sitting on the couch next to each other. Anthony was lying on the couch with his head resting on Gibb's lap.

When the movie was over and Anthony sat up and looked at the two people who were now his parents.

"Thank you."

Shannon smiled, "Sweetie…what are you thanking us for?"

"For wanting me?"

That was all it took. Shannon got up and excused herself and hurried out of the room. Anthony looked puzzled and turned to his new father, "Did…did I say something wrong?"

Gibbs reached over and hugged the boy; "No…you didn't say anything wrong. What you said was the right thing. Your mother and I love you very much. You do not have to thank us for wanting you. You make it so easy for us to want you. I just wish we could have done it sooner."

On the second day, Gibbs had almost messed up big time. Shannon was busy in the kitchen cooking. She yelled to her boys that lunch was ready. At the time Anthony was looking out the living room window watching the birds and squirrels playing in the trees. He didn't hear Shannon calling him to lunch. Gibbs walked up behind him and tapped him lightly on the back of the head to get his attention. The boy fell to his knees and began telling Gibbs how sorry he was. Gibbs could have kicked himself at that moment. He knew this child had been repeatedly hit on the back of his head and Gibbs knew he should have known better. He had taken the classes and still messed up.

The man dropped to his knees so he could look directly in the child's eyes. "Anthony, I am so sorry. I was just trying to get your attention. I promise I won't ever do that again."

Anthony looked at his new father, "Dad, it's okay…I…I should not have acted that way…way. Can I ask you something and you won't get mad?"

Gibbs smiled, "Sure what is it?"

"I…I know we already talked about me keeping my name. You said I could."

Gibbs smiled and just nodded. He wondered where this was going.

"I…I was named after my dad right?"

"Yes."

"My dad's name was Anthony like mine right?"

"Yes…" Gibbs was trying to figure out where this was going.

The boy looked down at his hands, "My foster parents most of the time would just called me names. When they were really angry with me they would call me Anthony. Can...can you..."

Gibbs lifted the boy's chin so he could make eye contact with him. "What is it son? What is it you want me to do?"

"Can…can you please…call me Tony instead? I would like to be called that just like my Daddy was."

"If that is what you want then we will start calling you Tony, okay?"

The boy just smiled and shook his head.

"Come on let's go tell your mother…"

That night, Tony had gone to bed early, Shannon was in the kitchen cleaning up. Gibbs decided to go check on their son to make sure he was okay. As he was walking up the stairs, he could hear what sounded like Tony whispering to somebody. He stopped and listened for a few seconds. He then could hear his son laughing. He wondered what the boy could be laughing at. He moved closer to the door to see if he could make out what he was saying. The boy was just whispering and he could not make out a single word. He finally knocked on the door and slowly opened it up.

"Tony?"


	7. Chapter 7

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoyed reading them.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

I just finished chapter 7 and decided to go ahead and post it. I hope you like.

_**Chapter 7**_

When Gibbs opened the door he found Tony sitting on the bed wearing his dad's Ohio State letter jacket. Gibbs wanted to smile because the boy looked so small in it. It was just too big for a child who was still trying to gain some much-needed weight. The boy at first looked like he had been caught doing something wrong but then he finally smiled. He was holding one of his father's trophies.

"My…my daddy played basket…basketball. I…I want…want to learn how to play it. Can you please…please teach me?"

Gibbs smiled, he now wondered how he was going to pull that one off. He knew more about football and baseball. He never really got into basketball all that much. He was never any good at it. It was just not his thing but he did remember how good his senior agent was at it. He could understand the boy wanted to be like his dad, "We will see. I really don't know much about the sport except what I have watched on TV with friends. Maybe…I can put a basketball net over the garage door. I have some friends who are good at it, maybe they can come by and give us a few pointers."

The boy Tony smiled at him, "That…that would be nice."

Gibbs moved over to the bed. "Tony can I asked you who you were talking to just a few minutes ago?"

The boy looked over at the chair by the desk and then looked back at Gibbs. He looked a little nervous at first, "No…nobody, I was just talking to…to myself."

"Well, it's okay if you talk to yourself. Everyone does it one time or another." Gibbs looked at the clock. "It's getting late, how about you take the jacket off and get some sleep. Tomorrow your mom and I are going to take you to Washington D.C. You are going to love the place. It has a lot of things to see. I use to take Kelly there all the time. We can spend the whole day there tomorrow and eat out. So…you better get some sleep. You have a big day ahead of you Bubba."

Tony smiled and took the jacket off. He placed it on the chair next to the desk. He ran over and jumped into the bed. "Goodnight Dad, I love you…you."

"Goodnight son, I love you too."

The next morning, the new family got up early and ate breakfast together. When they were finished Gibbs and Tony did the dishes while Shannon went on the computer to find out what tours were available. She printed them out so Tony could decide what he wanted to see. Gibbs and Shannon decided to let him choose since this was his first time. They both laughed when he told them he wanted to see to see them all. They told him there was no way they could see everything in one day, he was going to have to choose. They would take him another time to see the other places. The boy finally decided on the Air and Space Museum & the National Zoo. They would go see the Zoo in the morning, have lunch and then see the museum in the afternoon.

It was around eight in the evening when they finally arrived back at home. Tony was so tired; he had passed out in the backseat. Gibbs didn't have the heart to wake him. He gently picked up the boy and carried him into the house and up to his room. Gibbs placed the boy on the bed and began to remove the boy's shoes and socks. He also removed the child's clothes and helped him into his pajamas. Tony never woke up once. Shannon was right behind them with all the souvenirs they had bought their son. She placed the replica of the space shuttle, several books and T-shirts on his desk. She walked over and kissed Tony on the forehead and told him goodnight. Both Gibbs and Shannon stared at their son for a little while and then headed downstairs.

_**When Siblings Meet…**_

The rest of the week, they continued visiting different places around DC. Kelly was supposed to be home this coming weekend. Once she arrived they would spend a few days together just being a family so she could get to know her new brother. Gibbs was also looking forward to meeting her new boyfriend. They had made plans to visit Jackson Gibbs next week so Gibbs' father could spend some time with both his granddaughter and new grandson. Shannon's mother Joann was in Europe at the time vacationing so it will be a little while longer before she could meet her grandson.

Early Friday morning, Tony couldn't sleep. He could smell coffee brewing. He figured his dad must be up so he headed downstairs. When he walked into the kitchen he was surprised to see a strange man in the kitchen instead of his dad. The boy stopped in his tracks and took a few steps back.

The man smiled, "You must be Kelly's little brother Tony?"

The boy nodded, "Who are you? Where's my…my dad?"

He smiled, "I am Kelly's friend Mark. As for your father, I think he is still sleeping."

"So, you must be my little brother."

Tony nearly jumped when he heard a strange female voice behind him. He turned to see a woman standing close to him. She grabbed him and hugged him as hard as she could. "It's about time we meet little brother."

"K…Kelly?"

"Who else would I be?"

"Are you two going to get out of my way so I can get some coffee?" Both Kelly and Tony jumped when they heard their father's voice. They did not realize he was so close behind them.

"Daddy, I have told you to stop doing that before you give me a heart attack."

Gibbs smiled at his daughter, "After all these years you still have not learned to stay out of the way of a marine and his coffee."

She laughed and then hugged him as hard as she could. She finally released him, "Daddy, I would like you to meet my friend Mark Smith and don't forget what I asked you. Mark might be a keeper so don't you go running him off."

Mark smiled and stood up. He raised his right hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, Mister Gibbs."

For a few seconds, Gibbs just stared at the guy. He finally walked over and shook the man's hand. "You can call me just Gibbs. You and I will talk later…"

Shannon walked into the kitchen and saw her daughter. She looked at her husband as she was hugging her daughter. "Gibbs, leave the poor boy alone." She then looked at her daughter, "Kelly it is so good to see you. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Mom."

Tony watched as each of them grabbed a chair and sat down. There was no place for him to sit. After a few minutes, Shannon got up and poured some coffee for both Gibbs and herself while Kelly told them about all the things that were going on in her life these past few months.

Tony just stood there at the doorway and listened to exchange between his new family members. They continued to talk as if he wasn't there. He was wondering if they would even notice him now that Kelly was here. Most foster families he had stayed with always treated their real children a lot better than they treated him. He now felt like he was an intruder. He slowly and quietly backed out of the room and headed upstairs to his room.

He was sitting on his bed for a few minutes when he heard the door open, "Hey Squirt, why did you leave? I was just getting to the best part of my story."

Tony looked at Kelly, "I…I didn't want to in…intrude."

Kelly walked over and grabbed her little brother into a hug, "Listen Squirt, you are part of this family now. You could never be an intruder. Now come downstairs before our Dad scares another boyfriend away. I am getting to old to keep looking." Tony smiled and followed behind her.

When they entered the kitchen Gibbs was missing and Shannon was starting breakfast. She smiled when she saw Tony walked in the room, "There you are. We were wondering were you run off to. What would you like for breakfast? Since we are celebrating Kelly coming how I am going to make everyone's favorite. What would you like?"

Tony couldn't decide so he looked at his big sister, "What…what are you going to have?"

"Pancakes, Mom makes the best chocolate pancakes."

Tony looked at his mom, "I will…will have the same please…please."

Gibb walked in with another chair, "Make that three."

Mark spoke up, "I guess I'll have the same as everyone else."

Shannon smiled, "Chocolate pancakes for everyone then."

After they ate, Kelly volunteered herself and Tony to clean up the kitchen. She wanted to get a chance to spend a little more time with her little brother. Tony didn't mind because he liked his sister.

"So Tony…tell me how do you like Mom and Dad?"

Tony smiled, "I…I like them a lot. They have been nice to me."

"Yah, they are good people and pretty good parents. Dad can be a little scary sometimes but he is really a good guy?"

"He…he don't scare me…me."

Kelly already knew the answer but she just wanted to get her little brother talking. "Are you going to school yet?"

"No…Mom is go…going to home school me…me so I can…can get my grades up…up first."

"Mom's a pretty smart lady. She helped me and I graduated with honors. Dad might not act it but he is pretty smart too. He can teach you a lot. He is very good with his hands."

She looked at him and smiled, "You know Dad and Mom could never have any more children after me. They wanted more but they could never have them. You are a blessing to them. I am so glad you are here."

Tony didn't say anything because he wasn't sure what to say.

Kelly could tell the conversation was getting a little too serious so she finally splashed some dishwater on him, "Hey Squirt, we better get back cleaning up the kitchen or Mom will get all over us for not doing it. When they were finished they headed into the living room and joined the rest of the group.

Around ten, Tony was starting to fall asleep. It was getting late so Shannon and Gibbs helped Tony up to his room. Kelly was going to sleep in her old room while Mark slept on the couch. There was no way Papa Gibbs was going to let his daughter's boyfriend sleep in the same room as his daughter. He knew they were probably sleeping together but he was not going to let it happen in his house. Especially now, that they have a young child living with them in this house.

It was around midnight when Gibbs woke up. He thought he heard someone talking. If Mark was in Kelly's room he was going to kill him. He headed toward the door. When he opened it he realized the noise was coming from Tony's room. It sounded like Tony was talking to someone. He couldn't make out what was saying. Gibbs put his ear to the door. He could hear what sounded like someone talking back to his child. Gibbs opened the door and saw his son again with his father's coat on. The boy looked like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Tony, who were you just talking to?"

"Nobody."

"Son…I heard you talking to somebody."

The boy looked over to the chair and looked disappointed, "He's…he's gone now. It doesn't matter."

"Who's gone?"

"My Daddy..."


	8. Chapter 8

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them.

This weekend, I had plenty of time to work on my story. Once I got started on a chapter I couldn't stop. So, guess what? I have chapter 8 ready. I have to go back to work tomorrow so it will probably be Friday before I can post again.

WARNING: This chapter does mention CHILD ABUSE.

_**Chapter 8**_

Gibbs looked at the chair and then back to his son. He was wondering what the child had been looking at. He moved closer to his son so he could sit next to him on the bed, "Tony…what do you mean you were…talking to your daddy?"

Tears were starting to flow down the child's cheeks, "My…my daddy said I…I didn't ne…need him anymore because I…I have a good family now who…who will take care of me. He…he said he might not…be around much long…longer."

Gibbs reached over and hugged the child. He wasn't really sure what to say so he finally says, "Maybe your Daddy is right. Maybe you should listen to him. You do have us. You will always have us."

The boy shook his head, "No…No I want my Daddy. He was the only…only one who was…there for me when…I had no…nobody to talk to." The boy couldn't stop crying. He kept trying to wipe his face with his hands. Gibbs got up and went to get some tissues. He returned to his spot on the bed and began to wipe his son's face.

It broke Gibbs' heart to know all this time this child only had his dead imaginary Daddy for comfort. He was going to have to talk with Tony's psychiatrist and see how he should handle this. This was way beyond his knowledge, "Ssshhhh, don't you worry now you will always have us."

Before Tony could say anything back to his father, Kelly poked her head into the room. "Daddy, what's the matter with Squirt?" Before she got an answer, Kelly walked into the room and sat on the other side of her little brother.

Gibbs looked at his daughter. He could see the worry in her eyes. "He just misses his daddy."

Both Gibbs and Kelly stayed with the boy and talked with him until he fell asleep.

It was real early in the morning; they had planned to go to the beach today. He got up early to check on Tony to see how he was doing. He knew the boy hadn't slept much but he figured Tony could sleep on the way to the beach. He smiled when he found Kelly sound asleep next to her brother.

"Oh they look so cute together." Gibbs almost jumped because his wife over the years got good at sneaking up on people. She was almost as good as he was. He looked at her and smiled.

She smiled and whispered, "I will be right back."

Within seconds, Shannon returned with a camera. She took a picture of her two sleeping children. When the flash from the camera went off, Tony opened his eyes.

Shannon handed Gibbs the camera and ran over to sit next to him, "Sorry, sweetie but I wanted to get a picture of my two favorite kids sleeping together. You two looked so cute together. I couldn't help it. I had to take a picture."

Before Tony could say anything Kelly spoke up, "Gee thanks a lot Mom, you just woke me up from one of the best sleeps I had in a long time." She sat up and began to rub the sleep from her eyes. "By the way, make sure you give me a copy of that picture."

Gibbs grinned as he took a picture, "Now that everyone is up how about we get breakfast going? We wanted to leave as early as possible. Right now, I could sure use some coffee."

Kelly jumped up immediately when she heard the word coffee. She had inherited her love from coffee from her dad, "Daddy, I want a copy of that one too."

While Shannon and Gibbs were getting breakfast ready, Kelly talked her little brother into helping her wake up Mark. He was still sound asleep in the living room. The poor guy nearly freaked out when his girlfriend and her little brother jumped on him. While he was still trying to get his composure, the two siblings were laughing together. Shannon walked in and told them breakfast would be ready in another ten minutes.

While they all sat around the table eating, they talked about their plans for the day. Mark suggested that they go ahead without him. He had a friend in DC that he wanted to visit. He said it would be a good time for them to spend some family time together without an outsider hanging around. They tried to talk him out of it but he told them he would go with them tomorrow instead.

On the way to the beach Gibbs, Shannon and Kelly talked about her relationship with Mark, her classes and future plans. Tony listened to the conversation for a while until he fell asleep. They knew he had had a rough night so they lowered their voices to let him get some sleep.

They arrived at Ocean City Beach around nine. Gibbs found a parking spot not too far from the stores and beach area. Gibbs woke Tony up and he was all excited because he had never seen the ocean before. Shannon and Kelly were getting the things out of the car. They were leaving to find a nice spot on the beach for them. As Tony started to follow them, Gibbs stopped him.

"No son, I am afraid you are going to have to wait a little while longer. Remember, you don't have any swimwear. We are going to have to get you some."

The boy was a little disappointed as he watched his mother and sister walk further away from them, "Okay."

Gibbs took his son into the nearest swimwear store. It wasn't long before, Tony picked out what he wanted. He asked his father if it was okay if he left his shirt on because he noticed most of the men and boys were shirtless. Gibbs told him it was okay but to go ahead and pick out a souvenir shirt to wear with his new swim trunks. Gibbs looked at his son and decided it was time for him to buy some new swimwear also. He bought matching swim trucks and T-shirt just like his son but in an adult size. Father and son went to the back room to change into their new swimwear. When Tony took off his shirt Gibbs was reminded why Tony wanted to keep a shirt on. The boy's lower back just a little above his waist was scarred from the whipping his foster father use to give him. _Gibbs made a mental note that when he gets back to work he is going to check into Mr. Walkers background._

As they were walking out the store Gibbs remembered he forgot to get Tony some sunglasses. Everyone else had them but the boy.

Shannon and Kelly were sitting under the umbrella talking when Kelly started laughing. "Oh Mom, you have got to see this."

Shannon turned around and saw her two boys walking toward them. She couldn't help but smile. Both of them were wearing sunglasses and dressed in matching sky-blue swim trunks and a T-Shirt that said, "Ocean City Beach Dude." Shannon couldn't help but laugh. She grabbed her camera and took several pictures of them.

Before they went into the water she made them sit there while she put sunscreen on both of them. Shannon didn't really care about going in the water. She told them to go ahead and have fun in the water. She would stay behind and watch their things.

All three headed toward the water, Tony was okay until he got closer to it. He didn't realize how fast moving the water was. He hesitated as Gibbs and Kelly dove into the water. He couldn't take his eyes off the waves and the water receding. When Gibbs and Kelly finally surfaced they realized they were missing someone. They looked back to see Tony staring at the water. Gibbs made his way back to where his son was.

"Tony, you okay?"

The boy looked at his father and then back to his mother. "I think I will go sit with Mom. She…she looks lonely."

"Tony, what's wrong?"

Tony whispered in his ear, "Dad, I…I can't swim."

Gibbs grinned, "That's not a problem, I can teach you. Come on it will be fun. Kelly and I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." Gibbs grabbed his son's hand and pulled him into the water until he was waist deep. He bent down so he could be the same level as his son. Kelly was just a few feet from them. Within seconds a wave came and lifted both of them. Kelly, Gibbs and Tony laughed. It wasn't long before another wave came and lifted them up again. They played in the water until they started to get hungry. As they headed toward the beach the water started to recede because of the undertow. Tony panicked and grabbed his father's shirt and tried to climb up him. He thought the water was going to take him. It took all of Gibbs strength to keep himself and Tony from falling backward into the water.

"It's okay Tony. It's okay son. Your are going to be okay."

Once Tony calmed down, he held onto Gibbs like his life depended on it. He wouldn't let him go.

Gibbs whispered to him, "I got you son. You're okay."

Gibbs could feel the boy's breathing start to slow down and the boy started to relax in his arms.

Kelly moved closer, "Squirt, remember neither Daddy or I am going to let you drown. Besides Daddy is a really great swimmer."

Tony finally lifted his head from Gibbs's shoulder. "Dad, I…I am sorry."

Gibbs smiled, "Son there is nothing to be sorry about. It's your first time and the ocean is big and it can be a very scary thing. Now, lets go get some lunch. I don't know about you but I am hungry and could eat a shark."

Tony had a puzzled look on his face, "We…we are not going to eat… shark are we?"

Both Gibbs and Kelly couldn't help but laugh.

Once they were out of the water, Gibbs sat Tony on the ground. All three headed toward Shannon holding hands with Tony in the middle.

After they packed up all their stuff, Gibbs took them to the best fish-n-chips place in Ocean City. Tony ate everything he had on his plate. It was the most he had ever ate in one setting. After they were finished they headed to the amusement park. Tony wanted to go on the big ferris wheel. Gibbs and Shannon rode in one seat while Kelly and Tony rode in the other. Tony never had so much fun in his life.

It was around eight in the evening when they finally got home. Mark was sitting in the living room watching a movie. Tony was so excited that he had to run in the living room before anyone else could to tell Mark about all the things they did. Mark just grinned while the boy talked. Gibbs, Shannon and Kelly just stood by the doorway and listened.

It was around midnight Tony was still awake. He couldn't sleep. He waited and hoped his daddy would show up. He was excited and wanted so badly to tell him about all the new things he had seen and did today. He had never had so much fun and he wanted to share it with his daddy. He was starting to worry maybe his daddy was not going to come back after all. Maybe, his father thought he didn't need him anymore. Tony looked at the empty chair. Tears started to flow down his cheek, "You…you are so…so wrong Daddy, I…I will always need you. Please I want to see you again.

"Son?"

The child smiled as he looked at his father sitting in the chair.

"You come back to me."

The father smiled, "I will always come back as long as you need me."

The child smiled…


	9. Chapter 9

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

I hope you enjoy.

_**Chapter 9**_

It was after midnight and the four adults were sitting in the kitchen talking about their plans for tomorrow and the next day. Gibbs was getting tired so he decided to call it a night. He kissed his wife on the forehead and told Kelly and Mark he would see them in the morning. He headed upstairs. He decided to check on his son before he went to bed.

As he walked toward Tony's door, he could hear what sounded like his son talking to himself. He moved closer to the door. He smiled when he heard the boy talking about all the fun stuff he did today. After a few seconds he could hear what sounded like a man laughing. Gibbs immediately opened the door to see if he could catch whoever was in the room with his son. The room was empty except for Tony sitting on the bed. The boy smiled at him. Gibbs looked around the room and didn't see anyone. He now wondered if he just imagined the laugh. He was very tired after all. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. He smiled at his son, "You had a very big day today, I bet your are just as tired as I am?"

The boy just nodded his head.

Gibbs reached over and hugged his child. "You get some sleep. Tomorrow we will just hang around the house. Maybe we could rent a couple of movies and order some pizza. It will just be your mom, you and me. Kelly's going to take Mark around and introduce him to all her old friends. The day after tomorrow we are going to Stillwater so you can meet your new grandpa Jackson. You are going to like him. I was talking with him earlier. He told me to tell you he can't wait to meet you."

"Dad…Dad thanks for today. I…had the best time ever."

Gibbs grinned and ruffled the boy's hair up. "So did I. Son, you have a good night. I will see you in the morning."

Gibbs noticed that it was a little chilly in the room so he walked over and adjusted the thermostat before he left.

Once Gibbs entered his room he decided to take another shower before he laid to bed. He had taken one earlier but he still felt like his had some salt still left on him from the ocean. When he was finished he headed straight to bed. As he lay there in the room it started to get cold. He got up and adjusted the thermostat and lay back down. A few seconds later he felt as if someone was in the room watching him. He looked around but didn't see anything. He then heard what sounded like a very low whisper, _"Gibbs."_

Gibbs quickly sat up and looked around the room. There in the corner of the room was an adult Tony smiling at him.

Gibbs couldn't believe his eyes. "Tony?"

Shannon walked into the room just as he said it and she thought he was talking to her, "I just checked our boy and he is sound asleep. I believe he wore himself out."

Gibbs looked at Shannon and then quickly backed to where he thought he saw Tony. The apparition was gone. Maybe he just imagined it?

Shannon sat down on the bed she began to remove her slippers and take her housecoat off. She looked over at him and smiled, "Honey, I thought you would be asleep by now?"

He looked at her, "I decided to check on our son before (Yawn) I went to sleep. He was still awake so we talked at little. He thanked me and told me he had the best time."

Shannon lay down next to him and laughed a little. "Gibbs, I couldn't help it but I thought I was going to die laughing when that poor little boy started to climb up on you when you two were in the ocean. I know the boy was scared out of his mind but it was the look on your face that was so priceless."

Gibbs moved a little closer so they could spoon together. "So, you (Yawn) think I was funny?"

"Yes and I have the picture to prove it."

Gibbs grinned a little, "Yah, well he caught me off guard…Just before he got into the water he whispered to me that he didn't know how to swim. He had (Yawn) never been near the ocean and when he saw the water receding, he panicked. I really don't blame Tony I would have probably done the same thing. Shannon…today made me realize how much (Yawn) this child has missed out on things. We are going to have to be careful when we introduce new things to him. We shouldn't assume he already knows about (Yawn) them."

"I know what you mean. That poor child, I don't know why we didn't think to asked him if he could swim or not. These days, I just naturally thought he would know how to swim. Hell, we had Kelly swimming at five years old."

"I did promise him I (Yawn) would teach him how and that is one promise I am going to keep."

Gibbs and Shannon talked a little longer until they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning they all got up early and ate breakfast. Kelly and Mark left shortly after to go visit her friends. They had agreed to meet at Maddie Tyler's apartment. She was going to throw her best friend a pool party. Kelly told her parents she wasn't sure when they would be back.

Shannon decided to do some grocery shopping and also buy a few things for the up coming trip to Stillwater. Gibbs wanted to stay home with Tony. He couldn't get the image of his night visitor out of his mind and wanted to talk with his son a little about it.

He found Tony sitting in the living room watching an old black and white movie. Gibbs sat down next to his son.

"What are you watching?"

"Cas…Casablanca."

Gibbs couldn't help but grin at the boy. He could tell this boy was Tony's son. "Aren't you a little young to like a movie like this?"

Tony grinned, "These are the b...best movies."

"How do you know that?"

"Mrs. Parker told me…me they were the best. She…she was in love with that fellow Hump…Humphrey Bogart. When I…I was having trouble sleeping she…used to let me…me stay up with her and watch the old movies. Sometimes she would cry. Did you…you know that Bogart won an award for Best Actor in…I think it was 19...4…3?"

"No, I didn't know that." Gibbs decided to change the subject, "Tony, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"The other day, you said you were talking with your dad?"

The boy looked down at his hands and started to look nervous. "Yes…yes."

"Tony, you are not in any kind of trouble or anything like that. The reason I am asking is because I thought I saw and heard your dad in my bedroom last night."

The boy looked at him speciously, "You…you are not saying that to make fun…fun of me?"

"No, I would never make fun of you. You are my son now. I have your six. I will always have your six."

"What…does it mean have your…six mean?"

"It means that I will be watching your back. I will be there for you."

The boy thought about it for a few seconds, "My…my daddy always watches my back. He comes…to me when I…I need him. Some…sometimes he comes just to talk. He helps…helps me when things are…are bad. Jimmy Walker use to make…make fun of me because the way…way I talk. He once heard…me…me talking to my…my daddy. He told his…his daddy. B…Billy told me that not…only was I stu...stupid but I was also crazy."

"He was wrong, you not crazy or stupid, you are smart and don't you forget that."

"My…my dad says that too."

Gibbs turned his head when he heard a car door shut and that ended the questions for now, "I think mom's home. Let's go see if she needs any help."

That evening everyone was sitting in the living room watching a movie. Shannon and Gibbs had gone into the kitchen to get some more popcorn and drinks for everyone. Tony had left to go use the bathroom.

While Kelly and Mark were waiting for everyone to return, Kelly decided to show her friend Mark some of the pictures they took yesterday at the beach. She knew her mother was going to print out some copies to put it in the family album. She picked up the album and found the pictures. They both started laughing the moment they saw the picture of Gibbs trying to keep from falling backwards when Tony tried to climb up him. They were laughing so hard that they didn't notice Tony walking up behind them to see what was so funny. When the child saw what they were looking at he got furious with them. Tony grabbed the album from them and yelled. "DON'T YOU EVER LAUGH AT MY DAD…DAD! MY DAD IS A GOOD PERSON!"

Both Kelly and Mark were too stunned to say anything.

Shannon and Gibbs walked into the room with the popcorn and drinks. Gibbs asked as he sat the drinks down, "Hey what's going on here? Tony why are you upset?"

Tony ran over and hugged his father and then looked up at him. "They…they were laughing at you, Dad. I didn't want them…laughing at you. I…I have your six…Dad."

Kelly stood up, "Mom…Dad honestly, we didn't mean anything by it. All I was doing was showing Mark the pictures Mom took of us yesterday at the beach. I didn't realize she had taken a picture of you when Tony tried to climb up on you. It was your expression that had both of us laughing. Daddy...it was really funny. Tony heard us and got upset. We really didn't mean anything by it."

Gibbs continued to look at his daughter for a few seconds longer and then he looked down at his son. He knew Kelly and Mark didn't really mean any harm. Yet at the same time he was so proud to know this child who was hugging him at the moment was trying to protect him. Tony had his six.

Gibbs looked at his daughter and said seriously, "Tony and I will be the judge of the picture. We'll see how funny it is."

Gibbs looked at the album and then to his son, "Tony, let's go sit on the couch and look at the album. We are going to judge the picture and see if it is as funny as they said it is."

The boy did as he was told.

The father slowly turned the pages to see the new pictures that had been added to the album. All the pictures came out looking real nice. Gibbs couldn't help but grin when he saw the picture of Tony and him wearing sunglasses and matching clothes. He told Shannon that he wanted two framed copies of it. He wanted one for his desk at work and the other one for Tony's room. He looked at Tony and winked. The boy just grinned.

Gibbs turned to the next page and there was the picture that caused all the commotion. It took all Gibb's control to keep himself from laughing out loud. He could see why Shannon, Kelly and Mark thought it was so funny. His face looked all contorted as he tried to keep his balance. He looked down at his son to see what Tony's reaction was. The boy had no expression on his face. As Gibbs looked back at the picture he heard what sounded like a muffled laugh. He looked down again at his son and could tell the boy was trying his best not to laugh out loud. Within seconds, both father and son burst out laughing. Shannon, Kelly and Mark joined in.

That night everyone went to bed early so they could leave before eight in the morning. Gibbs wanted to get to Stillwater by noon. He knew with five people traveling in one car they were going to be several stops on the way especially with a young boy.

Shannon had decided to go to bed the same time as Gibbs so he didn't think he would be seeing the ghost Tony tonight.

It was around midnight when he woke up. He thought he heard somebody calling his name. He looked over at Shannon and she was still asleep. He looked around the room and couldn't see anything. Maybe he was just dreaming it. As he lay there he heard it again. It sound like it was coming from the hallway. He got up and moved toward the door. He opened it and looked out into the hallway. He didn't see anything. He then heard it again but he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

He walked over to Kelly's bedroom door and listen. He didn't hear any noises. He didn't think the voice was coming from her room but he wanted to make sure. Next, he went across the hall to check on his son. When he opened the door, he saw the boy was asleep. Maybe it was just his imagination? As he started to close the door, he heard a very soft whisper. _"Boss, please don't leave?"_


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for your all your Reviews, Favs and Follow.

As alway I will most likely post weekly and if I can do it sooner I will.

At the beginning of this chapter it maybe a little confusing but it will make sense more at the end of the story. I hope you like

_**Chapter 10**_

Gibbs stopped and looked around the room but he couldn't see anything out of the norm. He could sense there was something in there because the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. He scanned the room one more time until his eyes finally focused on movement in the corner. He watched as whatever it was started to take shape. Within seconds he saw a very ghostly looking Tony standing only a couple of feet in front of him. Gibbs didn't sense any danger. He slowly reached out to touch the apparition but his hand went through the body.

Tony smiled and whispered, _"I know Boss and it freaked me out too. It is just like that 1990 Ghost movie; you know the one with Patrick Swayze as Sam Wheat and Demi Moore as Molly Jensen. Demi really looked hot in that movie."_

Gibbs reached out to slap Tony on the back of the head but his hand went right through the apparition. The younger man laughed, _"Boss, I guess there is one thing good about being a ghost, at least you can't head slap me anymore."_

Gibbs just stared at Tony for a few seconds and then he finally whispered, "DiNozzo, how…is it possible that you are here?"

"_I don't…know…Boss. I don't understand it myself…when I woke up it was like I…had two memories; two pasts and I can't example it."_

Gibbs looked over at the child on the bed. He was still asleep and Gibbs didn't want to wake him. He whispered to Tony, "Let's go down stairs so we don't wake up my...your son."

Tony walked over to the bed and looked down at his sleeping son, He whispered, "Hey Boss, don't you think Wendy and I made a good-looking kid?"

Gibbs saw the smile on Tony's face and moved next to him, "Yah…you two did make a cute kid." Gibbs felt really bad because it was the only congratulations Tony you're a dad compliment he could think of at the moment.

Gibbs watched as the younger man's face turned sad, "Wendy was wrong to leave him…you know? I know she loved me but she shouldn't have taken her life to be with me. If I couldn't be here for our son then she should have been. Our baby really needed her. He should not of had to go though what he did. I saw what they did to him but I couldn't do anything about it."

Just then the boy started to stir just a little.

Gibbs whispered, "You have always been there for him. He has told me so. Now, let's go downstairs before we wake up your son."

Tony gave the child one last look before he followed the older man out of the room.

When they reach the kitchen, Gibbs didn't say anything because he wasn't sure what he should say. So, he decided to make some coffee for himself. Tony just stood there and watched.

Gibbs kept his voice low because he didn't want to wake Mark up, "DiNozzo…what do you remember?"

"_Boss, the last thing I remember is when Probie and I were in the warehouse. Probie got shot and then I…I remember shortly after that a lot of pain and everything went black. I really don't remember anything after that."_

"Tony…you died in that warehouse."

Tony stood there for a few seconds as if he was trying to process everything in his head. _"Boss…that would explain a few things. But…there still is a lot...of strange and confusing thing going on with me. It's like I have two memories. One of us…I remember NCIS, you, Abby, Ducky, Probie and Ziva. But I have another memory, I remember marrying Wendy and she was pregnant with my child and I don't remember ever working for NCIS. How is it possible to remember you have lived two lives?"_

Gibbs just stared at his young friend for a few seconds, "Tony…you died in both those lives?"

It was at that very moment Gibbs heard someone coming down the stairs. It sounded like his daughter. Gibbs looked at Tony and told him they will have to talk later. Tony disappeared before his eyes.

Kelly poked her head into the kitchen, "Daddy, I thought I heard you talking to somebody?"

"I was just talking to myself."

Kelly grinned, "I smelled your coffee from all the way up in my room. You know how much I love your coffee. I just had to come down and to get me some."

The coffee was ready, so Gibbs poured himself and Kelly a cup. He placed them both on the table. The father and daughter sat down and each took a sip from their cups.

"Daddy, you will never believe how much I miss this. I can't find anything as good as your coffee where I am living now."

"Well, you can't blame me. I did try to teach you."

She took a sip and smiled, "I know."

Gibbs could sense his daughter was down here for another reason besides his coffee.

"Okay Kelly, spill it. What's on your mind?"

She smiled and then whispered, "Daddy, you could always read me. I do have another motive for being down here beside the smell of your coffee. I have wanted to talk to you alone about Mark and me. It's kind of hard to talk to you these days without your little shadow."

Gibbs grinned when she said that. "So, Mark's the one isn't he?"

Kelly nodded and grinned, "Yah, he's the one."

"Has he asked you to marry him, yet?"

"He has, but I wanted Mom and you to meet him before I made my decision."

"He seems like a nice guy. If you love him then what is stopping you from marrying him?"

She moved over and kissed her father on the check. "I have already talked with Mom. I just wanted to run it by Mom and you before I said yes."

Gibbs hugged her, "So, when are you going to tell him yes?"

"I was thinking about telling Mark once we are in Stillwater. We could take the boat out on the lake. I want to go to that very spot you proposed to mom. That place is so beautiful this time of the year and I would love to give him my answer there. When we come back, we can get everyone together and make the announcement. Then we can all go out to eat at some fancy restaurant to celebrate."

"I think your mom and grandpa will like that a lot. I know I will. So, does that now mean I am going to lose my baby girl?"

Kelly smiled, "You know you will always be Daddy to me. Mark is such a wonderful man. He's really good to me. I love him a lot and yes I do want to spend the rest of my life with him. He reminds me a lot like you. You know that strong silent type."

Gibbs laughed, "Well, he better take good care of you or he will be answering to me."

Kelly hugged her father, "He will."

Gibbs looked at her sadly, "Why do I feel like I am now going to lose my little girl?"

"Oh Daddy…I will always be your little girl even when I am in my sixties and you know that. Besides, you now have Tony to take care of. I bet you any amount of money that he is going to be a handful once he has lived with you for a while. I know you will build up his confidence. I can tell you are going to be very good for him just as much as he is going to be good for you. He's only known you for a few months and you got him already watching your six. How sweet is that?"

Gibbs just grinned at her and didn't know what to say because he knew she was right. He finally looked at the clock. It was almost two. "We better get back to bed. Let's get a couple more hours of sleep before we leave for Stillwater."

Kelly took one last sip and kissed her father on the cheek and headed upstairs. Gibbs wasn't too far behind her.

It was early in the morning when Gibbs and Shannon got up. Shannon wanted to get breakfast going. Shannon took her shower and went to wake Kelly up. Her daughter had promised to help with making breakfast.

After Gibbs took his shower, it was his job to wake up his son and have him get ready so they could leave on time. He woke Tony up and told him take a shower and get dressed. Gibbs headed downstairs to start putting the bags into the car. Mark was awake so he helped by taking the bags out to the car while Gibbs figured out how to get all of them in there.

After they ate they were ready to leave. It was just before noon when they arrived in Stillwater. Gibbs knew his father would be at the store. Jackson had planned for a friend to watch the store for the next few days. They were all going to be staying at Jackson's cabin by the lake. Gibbs parked the car by the store and everyone piled out. Kelly couldn't wait for her grandfather to meet Mark so she dragged the poor guy into the store. Shannon, Gibbs and Tony followed closely behind them.

"Grandpa!" Kelly yelled as she ran to him and hugged him. He had a big smile on his face. He had not seen her in about three years. "Grandpa, I want you to meet a very good friend of mine. His name is Mark."

Jackson just studied the man for a few seconds.

Mark reached out to shake his hand, "Kelly has told me a lot about you and I am glad you meet you sir."

The older man finally reached out his hand, "It's nice to meet you to son. You don't need to call me sir I work for a living. You can call me Jack."

Mark laughed, "Okay…It's nice to meet you Jack."

Shannon walked up and hugged her father-in-law tightly. "I missed you so much, Dad. It's so good to see you."

"I missed you too. I have told your husband that he needs to bring the family around more often. It's so hard for an old man like me to travel."

Gibbs smiled, "I know Dad, I promise I will do better."

Jackson was going to believe it until he sees it so he decided to change the subject. "Now where is this new grandson of mine that I am supposed to meet?"

Shannon stepped back so her father-in-law could meet their son. She nearly panicked when she didn't see Tony anywhere in the store. She knew he had been right behind them when they walked in. Now the boy was gone. She looked at her husband and he had a silly grin on his face. She was so relieved when she saw Gibbs step aside to reveal their son hiding behind him. She now wondered why she even bothered to worry. She knew there was no way in hell Gibbs would let that boy out of his sight. Her husband had been that same way with Kelly when she was younger.

Jackson smiled when he saw the boy, "Child are you going to come over here and meet your grandpa or do I have to come over there to you?

Gibbs looked at his son and whispered, "Go meet your Grandpa…he won't bite."

The young boy moved a little closer to the older man but didn't say anything.

Finally Jackson says, "Son, does the cat got your tongue?"

"No…no sir."

"Come closer I'm not going to bite you."

Tony did as he was told and walked nervously toward the older man.

Jackson smiled, he had already been warned about the hell this child had gone through in his short life and he knew he needed to be careful not to scare the boy. "Tony…I just wanted to get a good look at my new grandson and welcome him into the our family." The older man opened his arms and the boy went into them. They hugged for a while. Jackson looked at his son and winked. Gibbs smiled back.

At that very moment Jackson's cellphone rang. He looked at it and saw it was his friend Mike who was suppose to be helping him with the store for the next couple of days. He knew he needed to take the call. A few minutes later, Jackson hung up and told them that his friend won't be here for another couple of hours. His wife's car broke down and he was going to have to go pick her up and get the car towed.

Instead of hanging around for the next couple of hours, Shannon, Kelly and Mark decided to go ahead and get the cabin ready for their stay. They got what supplies they needed from the store and left. Gibbs and Tony were going to stay behind and ride with Jackson because Gibbs didn't want his father going to the cabin by himself. It would also give him and Tony some quality time with Gibbs' father.

For the next couple of hours, Gibbs took care of the customers while his father got to know his grandson. He could hear them talking every now and then Tony would laugh out loud. When that happened Gibbs would look over at his father because he knew Jackson was telling his grandson something about when his father was a little boy. Gibbs wasn't sure he wanted his son to know everything he did when he was a young boy. Some of it wasn't pretty.

Mike finally showed up and they immediately left for the cabin. It took them a little over an hour to reach it. Gibbs grinned as he drove up the old gravelled road and saw the lake and the cabin. He hadn't been here in such a long time and he really missed it. It was here he learned how to swim and it was going to be here where he is going to teach his son how to swim. Tony just didn't know it.

Gibbs parked his father's truck next to their SUV. They all got out and Gibbs grabbed his father's bags and they headed inside the cabin. Shannon was in the kitchen making a pie for them to eat later.

"Good you're finally here. I was starting to get a little worried."

"Where are Kelly and Mark?"

"After they finished helping to clean up the cabin Kelly talked Mark into taking the rowboat out on the lake." Shannon grinned, "I think our daughter is finally going to give Mark her answer."

Jackson had no clue what his daughter-in-law was talking about so he asked, "What answer?"

"Mark wants to marry her and she hasn't told him yes yet. She wanted to wait until after she talked with us first. She also wanted to wait and give him her answer when she was in Stillwater so we could all go out to eat and celebrate together.

Jackson grinned, "It's about time. I was wondering if my granddaughter was every going to get married."

An hour later, Gibbs and Tony were down by the dock. Gibbs was trying to teach his son how to fish when they saw Kelly and Mark returning. Kelly didn't have to say anything to him because he could tell from their expression that Kelly had told Mark yes. He also knew Kelly wanted to tell everyone at the same time so he was going to keep his mouth shut. Nobody bothered to tell Tony about her plans. As soon as they tied the boat to the dock, Tony ran up to his sister and asked, "Did you…you say yes?"

Mark looked at his future wife and realized that she had told her family before she told him. Kelly just looked at him and laughed.

Gibbs didn't know what to say except, "Welcome to the family..."


	11. Chapter 11

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

I really not sure what you will think of this chapter but I hope you like it?

WARNING: This chapter does mention CHILD ABUSE.

_**Chapter 11**_

Even though little Tony had innocently let the cat out of the bag, Kelly still gathered everyone together into the living room so she could tell them that Mark and she were now official engaged. They planned to have their wedding sometime next spring and they would like to be married by the lake. They didn't want anything big or elaborate for their wedding. They just wanted to invite just the immediate family and a few close friends.

To celebrate, Jackson called an old friend of his who owned a nice restaurant in the area. The place was well known for having the best food and a huge dance floor with live music. He made reservations for them around six that evening. It was going to be his treat. They all got dressed up and left to eat and party.

Gibb, Shannon, Kelly and Mark had ordered their food and decided to go dance a little while they were waiting for their food. Tony stayed with his grandpa. He watched as the others were dancing. He had never been to a place like this before. The music was loud and everyone seemed like they were having good time.

"Grandpa…why do people dance…dance?"

"To have fun."

"It looks…like a…a lot of work to me."

Jackson laughed, "Yes…I suppose it can be."

A few minutes later, the band was finished with the song. The bandleader announced they were going to do Chubby Checker's "The Twist" next. Kelly ran back and grabbed her little brother's hand. "Come on Tony, let's you and me do the twist. I want to have a dance with my little brother."

Tony looked at his grandfather for guidance, "Go on boy. Trust me, you are going to have a lot of fun."

Tony looked at Kelly, "I don't know…know how to dance."

Kelly smiled as she dragged him toward the dance floor, "It doesn't matter just follow what I do. Come on squirt, I promise you are going to like it."

Shannon wanted Gibbs to do the twist with her but he didn't want to. He only liked the slower dances. Mark told Shannon he would go with her. She got up and left with the younger man. Gibbs sat down next to his father as the song started. Both men just sat there for a while and watched as everyone was having a good time.

It was a little near the end of the dance, Jackson finally says, "Leroy, I don't envy you when that boy gets into his teens. He is sure going to be a handful when it comes to the ladies. Look at him."

Gibbs grinned when his eyes finally caught sight of his son dancing with his sister and two little girls about his age. The child was having the time of his life. "Dad, for once I believe you are so right."

The father and son looked at each other and just laughed. Rarely do they agree on anything.

It was a little after dark when they returned to the cabin. Everyone was still wide-awake and nobody was ready to go to sleep just yet. Shannon made Tony go take a bath and change into his pajamas. Mark and Kelly decided to go sit outside for a while so they could spend some private time alone. The rest of the family decided to play a few games of rummy.

When Tony was finished with his bath and dressed in his pajamas, he joined the others in the kitchen. He wasn't tired yet so Shannon told him he could stay up just a little while longer. Tony had never played cards before so he sat next to Gibbs and quietly watched. While he was watching Gibbs explain to him how to play. After the third game Tony asked if he could play. Gibbs turned his hand over to the boy. It appeared that Tony had been paying close attention because he won the next couple of hands. Tony wanted to play another game but Shannon saw him starting to yawn and made him go lay down. He tried to protest but it didn't work.

The cabin only had two bedrooms, so they had already talked about what the sleeping arrangements were going to be while they were there. Shannon and Kelly were going to share one room and Jackson would take the other room. Mark was going to sleep on the couch. Gibbs and Tony were going to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor in the living room. Mark had offered to sleep on the floor but Gibbs told him that he wanted to do it. He thought it would be a fun way to spend some time with his son. It would be almost like they were camping together.

Sometime around two in the morning Gibbs woke up. He felt something was not right. He looked over to where his son should have been sleeping but he only saw an empty sleeping bag. He looked around the room and didn't see him. He wondered if the child might be using the bathroom. He waited a few minutes and didn't hear anything. Gibbs got up and knocked on the bathroom door lightly. He didn't get an answer so he opened it up and looked inside. He didn't see anybody. Gibbs was now worried. He peeked inside both bedrooms and didn't see the child. He thought to himself, "_Where could that boy have gone?"_

Gibbs hoped to God the boy didn't sleepwalk. It was too dangerous for anyone to be outside in the dark by himself especially with a lake not too far from the cabin. He thought about waking the others but he decided he would check around the outside of the cabin first. When he opened the door he was so relieved to find his child sleeping in one of the rocking chairs on the porch. He grinned, as he was getting ready to wake his son so he could get him back inside.

"_Boss?"_

At that very moment, Gibbs thought he was going to have a heart attack when he heard the whisper. As he turned around, he kept his voice low so that he wouldn't wake the child up, "DiNozzo don't you ever do that to me again."

The ghost Tony took a step back and grinned a little; _"Sorry Boss…but you now know how I used to feel when you snuck up on me."_

Gibbs just stared at Tony for a few seconds but he couldn't stay angry with him for too long. He finally smiled. "DiNozzo…just don't come up behind me the next time that is all I am asking."

Tony grinned as he raised his right hand,_ "Okay Boss. I promise I will only appear in front of you from now on." _Gibbs now wondered if that was such a good idea. He will probably have a heart attack either way.

Gibbs looked at the sleeping child and then backed to the boy's ghost father. He needed some questions answered, "Tony…how did you know to come here?"

"_I don't know Boss…I just sensed it. I can always sense when he needs me and I come no matter where he is at the time." _

"When you don't sense your son where are you?"

Tony thought about it for a few seconds, _"I am really not sure…Boss. It's like I am in an abyss. There is only darkness. Sometimes…I can hear what sounds like muffled voices but they sound so far away. I never can make out what they are saying."_

"Tony…can you sense anyone else beside your son?"

"_I can sense you but only when you are near my son."_

"Do you sense your son all the time?"

"_I can…only sense him when he is very emotional, like when he is very depressed or very happy. Tonight, I could tell he was happy and he wanted to talk with me so I came. He told me that your daughter Kelly is getting married. Hey and by the way…congratulations old man. It won't be long before you're a grandpa."_

Tony could tell he was getting off the subject from his boss's stare._ "Right…My son told me you guys went out to celebrate the engagement. He said that he got to dance with Kelly and some other girls. I wish I could have been there to see my big man dance and flirt with the babes? I bet he takes after his old man?"_

Gibbs grinned, "You would have liked it. He was a perfect little gentleman. He's nothing like his father."

The ghost Tony grinned, _"That really hurt…Boss. I would like you to know that I was a perfect gentleman when I was his age. My mother made sure of that."_

Gibbs just grinned and shook his head.

"_Boss…can I ask you something? How is it that you also seem to have two different lives?"_

This was the one question Gibbs had hoped that Tony wouldn't ask. All he could say at the moment was, "I made a wish."

Tony looked at him puzzled, _"You did what?"_

"Tony…I know what I am about to say sounds just as crazy as me standing here talking to a ghost…but I was granted a wish and I made it. I wished that Shannon had never met Pedro Hernandez. This way I would have my wife and daughter back. I also hoped if they were alive you would never have come to NCIS and you would be still alive. What I didn't realize at the time was you were going to die in Baltimore if you never came to work for NCIS and me. Tony…I am so sorry."

Tony grinned a little,_ "Boss…the wish thing…does sound a little too hinkey for me as Abby would say but how else would you explain Shannon and Kelly being alive? So, I believe you. You should also know to never apologize it's a sign of weakness. How many times have you beat that one into my head? If I…were in your shoes I would have made that very same…"_

It was at that very moment Tony turned his head as if he was trying to hear or see something. The younger man to hear muffled voices and then he saw a very bright light. He turned his attention back to his boss. Tony looked worried and started talking very fast, _"Boss...something is happening. I…I am not sure what it is. I have to go now. I can't stay. I am not sure if and when I will be back. Tell my…"_

Tony never got a chance to finish his sentence; he vanished right before Gibbs eyes. The older man just stood there and stared at the empty space. He was trying to figure out what had just happened. He was not sure what the younger man had seen and heard but whatever it was he could see fear in the younger man's green eyes. Gibbs was now worried that he was never going to see his friend again. It felt to him as if he lost Tony for a second time.

Gibbs knew there was nothing he could do so he turned his attention back to the sleeping child. He woke the boy up to get him back into the cabin. He helped him into his sleeping bag. The child was so tired that he fell right back to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

It was still a few hours before sunrise so Gibbs decided to go back to sleep himself. As he lay there he wondered why the ghost Tony had to leave so suddenly. He also wondered if he was going to ever see his friend again. If not, what was he going to tell Tony's son when he asked where his daddy is? He didn't remember falling asleep but he finally did.

It was early in the morning when Jackson and Gibbs had planned to take little Tony out on the lake to do some fishing. Gibbs woke the boy up to get him ready. Tony was all excited until he realized that he was going to have to go in the boat. He couldn't swim and he was terrified that he was going to fall into the lake and drown. Gibbs tried to reassure him that he would be safe with a lifejacket on but the boy wouldn't hear of it. So the three ended up just fishing off the dock. Gibbs made up his mind later in the day to start teaching his son how to swim.

When they were finished fishing they headed back to the cabin. Shannon and Kelly were in the kitchen getting breakfast ready. Mark was sitting at the table drinking coffee.

Shannon smiled when she saw them walking past the kitchen, "How did it go boys?"

Gibbs didn't say a word as he walked past her to put the fishing gear away. Shannon looked at Jackson wondering what was going on. She could tell her husband was not in a very good mood. The older man held up his catch. "I got more fish than my boy here and he is angry because he lost our bet."

Gibbs turned to look at his father, "Dad…it would have been a tie if my line hadn't broke at the last minute?"

Jackson grinned, "Leroy, you're just mad because I beat you fair and square. So, that means you have to clean all the fish the rest of the time we are here. Remember that was our deal and don't you go getting that child to help you."

"Dad…"

Shannon decided not to listen to their bickering anymore because the father and son did it every time they went fishing together. She turned her attention to her son and asked, "Well…Tony how did you do?"

Tony smiled as he held up his fish. "I…I caught the big…biggest one."

After breakfast, Gibbs sat outside and started to gut and debone the fish. Tony offered to help his dad but Gibbs told him a bet was a bet and he had to do it alone. Tony didn't say a word but just sat there so he could keep his father company.

It was almost around noon when everyone including Jackson wanted to go down to the lake for a swim and to have some fun. Kelly and Mark took a couple of inner tubes out to the center of the lake were they could have some privacy. Jackson and Shannon sat in the shade and watched as Gibbs began teaching Tony how to swim. Gibbs started showing him how to do the dog paddle. The boy was a little nervous at first but he did as he was told. It wasn't long before he was doing the dog paddle around Gibbs. Both Jackson and Shannon started clapping to encourage the boy. They both knew it wouldn't be long before Gibbs had the boy swimming like a pro.

A little later, Kelly and Mark came back to the dock and they started diving off of it. Shannon was standing not too far from them when Gibbs snuck up behind her and pushed her into the water. When she reappeared above the water she gave her husband a dirty look and promised to get even. Gibbs just stood there and laughed.

Shannon was not finished with her husband. She wanted revenge and she was planning to get even. She waited a little while, before she swam over to where Kelly and Mark were. She asked them for their help. Nobody in their family has ever been able to sneak up on Gibbs and push him into the water. Shannon figured between the three of them they could do it. So they waited a while until they were sure Gibbs had his guard down. When they decided it was time, they were surprise to find that Gibbs has been waiting for them all along. He managed to push all three of them into the water within a few seconds of each other. He stood there laughing. "Shannon, I told you it's never going to happen. When are you going to learn, you can't sneak up on an ex marine?"

Right after he said that, Gibbs found himself being pushed into the water not too far from the other three. When he finally surfaced he saw his father standing on the dock grinning. "I guess I still have it." Nobody dared to laugh, because a few seconds later, Jackson found himself in the water just a few feet from his son. When he finally surfaced he saw Tony standing there with the biggest grin on his face.

Gibbs knew the boy didn't understand that he shouldn't be pushing older people in the water like that. It could hurt them. He was getting ready to say something when his father stopped him. Jackson looked at his grandson and laughed, "Boy you got your grandpa all wet. Now that we are all in the water why don't you come and join us?"

Tony looked at everyone and then backed to his grandpa. He looked real nervous but he did something that nobody expected him to do. He jumped into the water all by himself. Gibbs immediately moved closer to where the boy jumped in. He wanted to make sure Tony was okay. The boy surfaced and spit out water. He started to dog paddle over to where is his grandpa was. "I…got...you…you real good…good didn't I, Grandpa?"

Jackson grabbed his grandson and held him so the boy's shoulders where just about the water, "Tony, do you know you just did something your father has never been able to do."

"What's that…that Grandpa?"

Jackson laughed out loud, "Boy, you got me all wet. Your father has been trying to do that all these years and has never been able to do it."

It was at that moment everyone started laughing including Gibbs. He would get with his son later and explain to him to be careful when horse playing around older people because they can get hurt easily. Gibbs also wanted to be very careful about choosing the right words to say to the boy because he didn't want Tony to get upset thinking he might have hurt his grandpa without meaning too.

Once they were back in the cabin, Jackson told Shannon and Kelly both that he was going to cook dinner. He shooed the two women out of the kitchen. The only one he wanted in the kitchen helping him was his grandson. He showed Tony how to make an apple pie for dessert. Once the pie was in the oven, he got Tony to clean up the mess. While Tony was doing that Jackson made the batter for the hushpuppies and set it aside. Next, he had Tony shuck some corn while he peeled the potatoes. He got the deep fryer out to start it heating up. For dinner he planned to batter and deep-fry the fish they had caught this morning, make French fries, hushpuppies and cook some corn on the cob to go with it.

It was a little later, the pie was done he took it out of the oven and placed it on a towel on the counter to cool down. While he was finishing up cooking, he had Tony start setting the table in the dining room.

Jackson was enjoying the time he was spending with his young grandson but it bothered him a little how obedient this child was. Every time he told Tony to do something the boy would just do it without hesitation. Gibbs had warned his father to tread carefully when it came to this child. His son had told him about Tony's life before he came to live with them. Jackson now was wondering if the child really wanted to be in the kitchen helping him after all.

The food was finally done. Jackson turned off the fryer and looked at his grandson, "Tony, can I ask you a question and I want you to be honest with me?"

Tony just nodded as he lowered his head because he thought he was in trouble.

"Do you like being in here helping me or would you like to be in the living room with your parents?"

Jackson could tell the boy was thinking about what he just had asked. Finally the boy answered, "I…I like being here with you…you Grandpa."

"The reason I am asking child is because I just realized I am making you work like your foster parents did. I never bother to ask you if you wanted to help me or not."

Tony went back to finish setting the table. He didn't look up at his grandpa when he said, "Billy…Billy Walker always made…made me work. If I didn't do it I would get punished. There…were many times I…I didn't eat that day or sleep that night because I didn't have all…all my chores done on time. If I didn't do them he…he would wipe me…me hard." Tony finally looked up at his grandpa. A lone tear was falling down his cheek. "This is…is nothing like work to me. I…I like being here…here with you grandpa just as much as I like being with mom and dad and Kelly. I like…like helping you. It makes...makes me feel good inside. I never felt this way with…with Billy Walker. I hated…hated him because he was…was always hitting me, calling me names or making me work. The Walkers never really wanted me…me. I was…was only there to help with the...the farm work."

Jackson walked over and hugged the child. He looked up and noticed his son looking into the room. Gibbs eyes were watering as he backed away. He knew it was a private moment between a grandfather and his grandson. He didn't want to intrude so he left.

Once dinner was served everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Jackson was really a good cook. There was plenty of food for everyone but Jackson made sure Tony got a piece of the fish he caught. He felt the boy deserved and needed the extra attention.

When they were finished, they all went into the living room. Dessert, coffee and milk were served. While they ate the pie, everyone listened to Jackson telling stories about growing up in Stillwater and when he worked in the mines. Once they were finished Gibbs and Mark volunteered to do the dishes. With all the activities they did today and the big dinner everyone seemed to be extra tired that night so they went to bed early.

It was around one in the morning when Gibbs woke up because he thought he heard someone crying. He looked over at his son's sleeping bag and it was empty again. He got up and opened the front door and looked outside. He found Tony sitting in the rocking chair. The child was crying.

Gibbs had a feeling he knew why but he still needed to ask, "Tony, what's the matter? What's wrong son?"

"My…my daddy didn't come to see me. I…I wanted to tell him about all the stuff I did to…today. I wanted to tell him about me fishing and how I…I can swim now but he didn't come."

Gibbs hugged the boy, "Maybe he can't come right now. Maybe he will come later."

"No…No you don't understand my daddy told me that he…he might not come anymore because I…I have a family that loves me. I…I want my daddy. Why can't I have my daddy? Why can't I have both of…of you? It's not fair…"

It broke Gibbs' heart but there was nothing he could say or really do to bring the boy's father back. He would just have to wait and see what was going to happen. He continued to hug the child and tried to comfort him as best as he could, "I know Tony…I know."


	12. Chapter 12

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

I hope you like

_**Chapter 12**_

The next morning everybody seemed to notice that something was different with Tony. The child seemed to be very depressed. When they tried to ask him about it he wouldn't say anything. Gibbs knew what was wrong with his son but he couldn't tell anyone. He was worried now the child might go back into the shell he was just starting to come out of. The ex marine was at a loss of what to do to help the boy and there was nobody he could really talk to about it. He hoped if he gives his son a little time maybe the boy would come around on his own.

Today, Kelly had planned to show her fiancé around the area since they only were going to be there just two more days. She had told Mark about an old covered bridge and a few other places that were worth seeing. She tried to get her little brother to go with them but Tony just shook his head. She bent down and whispered into his ear. "Tony I don't know why you are so sad but if you ever want to talk with me about it I will always be here for you just like mom, dad and grandpa. You do understand that don't you squirt?"

The boy just nodded.

Kelly smiled and kissed her little brother on his forehead and told him she would see him later.

Around eight, a friend of Jackson called him. His friend's truck would not start and he asked if Jackson could come by and help him with it. His friend only lived a few miles from the cabin. Jackson told him he would. He invited Gibbs and Tony to come with him. Tony really didn't feel like going. Shannon told Gibbs to go with his father just incase he needed his help. Tony could stay with her. Shannon had been wanting to spend a little alone time with her son. She thought this would be a good time. She knew something was bothering him and she was going to try and find out what it was.

After Gibbs and Jackson left, Shannon told Tony she was going to need his help with the dessert tonight. Shannon knew this child was very obedient. He would always do as he was told and she was going to use that against him to get some answers. She told her son that they were going to make a cobbler for dessert and they would need to go and pick some blackberries. She remembered seeing some on the road to the cabin. She had the child go and put some long pants on. She sprayed both herself and Tony down to keep the small critters away. She handed Tony a bucket and she took one for herself. She was not letting this child try to back out of it.

A little later the mother and son were walking down the old dirt road. Occasionally they would hear a bird or something jumping in the lake. Shannon loved this place. She had wished many times they could live here and get away from the big city life. She knew for now that would be impossible. Gibbs loved his job too much.

As they walked she tried talking to her son. "Tony have you ever gone blackberry picking before?"

Tony just shook his head and kept walking.

Shannon knew she wasn't getting anywhere with him. She put her bucket down and sat down on a rock by the side of the road. "Tony, please come over here and sit with me for a few minutes. I want to talk with you."

The boy walked over and sat down next to her.

"Tony, can you tell me what is wrong? You were such a happy boy last night. What happened? You woke up this morning and it's like you are a different person. Did you have a bad dream or something?"

Tony just nodded his head.

Shannon raised the boy's chin up and smiled at him. "Tony, I know you had a hard life before you came to live with us but I am your mother now. It is my job and your daddy's job to make sure you are taken care of. We have responsibilities to make sure you are fed, clothed, educated and to take care of you when you are sick. If there is something that is bothering you it is our job as your parents to help you with it. We do this because we love you. You mean a lot to us. When you hurt we hurt. Please tell me what I can do to make things better for you?"

For a few minutes Tony just sat there and didn't say a word. He bit his lip and finally looked at her. He wasn't sure how to tell her, "I…I just miss somebody that is…is all."

"Who?"

"It doesn't mat…matter anymore. He…he is dead. He is gone and I won't ever see him again."

Shannon wasn't sure what to say at the moment because of all the things she thought might be the problem she didn't expect him to say this. She figured he must have had a bad dream last night and it brought back memories of his dead friend.

Finally she says, "Tony, I am truly sorry about the loss of your friend and I can understand how you feel. When I was a little girl about your age…I lost my baby sister in a car accident. It hurt so badly and I cried for days. I thought I was never going to stop crying. Then one day, my grandmother sent me a card with a poem on it by Mary Elizabeth Frye. It helped me a lot. Let's see if I can remember how it goes?"

_Do…not stand at my grave and weep I am not there. _

_I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. _

_I am the diamond glints on snow. _

_I am the sunlight on ripened grain. _

_I am the gentle autumn rain. _

_When you awaken in the morning's hush _

_I am the swift uplifting rush _

_Of quiet birds in circled flight. _

_I am the soft stars that shine at night. _

_Do not stand at my grave and cry; _

_I am not there. I did not die. _

When she was finished, she looked at her son and smiled, "After I read that it brought me peace because I knew I may never get to see my sister again but I feel her in all the things I do each day of my life. It brought me peace to know she is with me everyday."

Tony looked at his mother and it was at that moment the dam broke. He cried and cried until he couldn't cry anymore. When he was finished Shannon took the bottom of her shirt and wiped the tears from her son's eyes. She asked him if he was okay now and he just nodded his head.

With very watery eyes Shannon smiled and kissed her son on the forehead and hugged him tightly for a few seconds. "Good, now let's go pick some blackberries for the cobbler tonight. If we don't have dessert there are going to be some very grumpy people."

It was almost four hours later when a very dirty Jackson and Gibbs returned. It appears the friend's truck had more problems than just a dead battery. Shannon made both of the men go back outside and clean up before they came back in the cabin. She was not going to have them bring any of that grease and dirt inside. She handed them both a bar of soap, towels and clean clothes. They were going to have to change outside. She made them put their dirty clothes in trash bag and she would wash them later.

It was a little later a very clean Gibbs walked into the kitchen. He was very surprised to see a smiling Tony. The boy was washing some bowls. Gibbs sat down at the table and watched his son for a few minutes. He was waiting to see if the boy would say anything. Tony finally turned and saw his dad. "Mom and I…I made a blackberry cobble for tonight. We picked the ber…berries ourselves."

"Did you have fun?"

Tony smiled and nodded his head as he walked toward his father. He hugged his dad and laid his head on his father's shoulder. "Mom and I…I talked. She…she helped me to understand a lit…little about death. She…she told me about her little sister. She…she never got to see her after she…she died. I…guess I should consider my...myself lucky that I had all that time with my dad. Some people don't get the chance like I did, do…do they?"

Gibbs smiled, "Most people don't get that chance like you did. Your dad was special and so are you. He loved you and wanted to be there for you."

"He was…was. I am going to miss…miss him."

Tony pulled back from his father, "Do…do you think…I will get to see him again…again?"

"I don't know but I do know your father will do everything in his power to see you again if he can…"

Around noon Jackson, Gibbs, Shannon and Tony went down to the dock to do a little swimming. Jackson sat in the shade watching as Shannon and Gibbs were teaching Tony how to swim. They were having Tony swim back and forth between them. It wasn't long before he wanted to swim to the dock by himself. It was about fifty feet away. Gibbs just followed behind him just incase he ran into any problems. Tony smiled when he reached it.

A little later Kelly and Mark returned. The two got out of the car and headed down to where the rest of the family was. Tony yelled to Kelly to watch him swim. She stood there and grinned. Her little brother seemed to be happy again.

Early next morning, Jackson, Gibbs and Tony got up and went fishing for one last time. After they caught enough fish for lunch they headed back up to the cabin. They had breakfast and then started packing up everything for the trip back home. They didn't want to wait until the last minute. When they were finished packing they all headed down to the lake for one last swim. A little after they were finished they had lunch and sat around till it was time to leave.

When it was time for them to leave Tony got very quiet because he really didn't want to tell his grandpa goodbye. He watched as the other did. When it was his turn he just stood there and didn't say anything.

Jackson walked over to the boy and hugged him. He could tell the child was upset. Saying goodbye is always hard to do. He whispered into the boy's ear, "Child, I want you to know I enjoyed our time together. You don't worry we are going to see each other again. Besides you can call me anytime you want. So, don't be so sad."

Tony moved back and looked at his grandpa, "I enjoyed being with you too. I love you grandpa."

They arrived back in DC just a little after dark. Gibbs parked the car in the driveway. While Gibbs, Mark and Kelly brought the luggage into the house, Shannon woke her son up and had him get ready for bed. That night everyone went to bed early because they were exhausted from the trip.

The next morning was Gibbs last day of his vacation. Shannon had promised him he could do anything he wanted to do today. All Gibbs wanted to do was relax and enjoy his family that day.

Kelly and Mark left early to go to the beach. They were only going to be here for just another week and then they would be heading back to California.

Vance called Gibbs just a little before noon. There was not much he could tell him at the moment but something serious had happened and he was going to need his senior agent back to work. Gibbs looked at his wife and smiled just a little, "I guess my vacation is over now. Whatever happened may take me a while, I am not sure when I will be home but I will call as soon as I can." He looked at Tony and smiled, "Tony, you take care of your mom. I will see you when I get home."

When Gibbs arrived at work, Director Vance was waiting in the conference room as everyone was piling in. Gibbs looked around and saw Abby, Ducky, and several teams including his. Gibbs sat down in one of the chairs against the wall and waited to find out what was going on.

Once everyone was seated, Vance looked around the room and said, "I am sorry I had to call you in on your day off but something has happened and I need everyone here. At two o'clock today, the president will be addressing the American people to let them know that early this morning there were several major explosions aboard three United States warships. At least seven navy personnel were killed and there are reports of up to forty-three injures. At the moment we don't know who is behind this and it is our jobs to find out who did and to stop them before more people die."

Vance looked at Ducky, "Doctor Mallard the bodies of the dead are going to be brought here later today. See what you can find out. If you need any additional help please let me know." Ducky just nodded.

"Miss Sciuto, you are going to need help. I am having several forensic scientists coming in from several areas to assist you with this investigation. They should be arriving shortly."

"Gibbs you are going to take the lead on this. I have a conference call with SecNav in fifteen minutes. I want you to be there. The rest of you start packing I want you all on those ships as soon as possible. You all need to be back here in an hour and Agent Gibbs will be handing out your assignments."

It was almost two hours later when Gibbs got a chance to call home. Shannon had seen the news and was afraid for her husband. She knew NCIS would be called in to investigate. She also knew she might not see her husband for days.

"You be careful please. Gibbs…I love you."

"Shan…I love you too. Tell Tony I will see him when I get home."

Gibbs put away his cellphone and headed toward his team. They were getting ready to board a military helicopter that would take them to one of the damaged ships in that was just a few miles off the Virginia coast.

Brooks and Brown boarded the helicopter while they stuck McGee carrying all the equipment. To the senior agent it brought back memories of all those times Tony made McGee carry the equipment. Gibbs laughed to himself; even in this life poor McGee was destined to be the probie. Gibbs walked over to him, "McGee would you like some help?"

McGee looked at boss, "Thank you sir…I mean Boss." Gibbs picked up a couple of the bags and put them into the helicopter. McGee followed just behind him.

The trip to the destroyer took close to two hours. They could see all the damage, as they got closer to the ship. There was several other ships waiting around just incase they needed to evacuate the rest of the crew.

The helicopter sat down on the landing pad. Gibbs and his team disembark. They got their equipment and immediately started their investigation….


	13. Chapter 13

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them and it sometimes helps me to decide how I want the story to go.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

For those who want the Ghost Tony back, he will not be appearing in this chapter but he will be showing up pretty soon. I hope you like.

_**Chapter 13**_

After Gibbs finished talking with the captain, he and his team headed down to the lower decks. Gibbs could see a couple of navy firemen walking around checking to make sure the fires didn't start back up. The further down they went the more destruction they saw and the stronger the smell of smoke. The senior agent ordered his people to put their oxygen masks on for safety. For now, the agents were going to have to work with emergency lights until they could get the power back on.

As Gibbs looked around, he was surprised the fatality count wasn't much higher than what was reported because this area of the ship was so close to the crews sleeping quarters. The ship's captain had told him that all three ships had been running surprise practice drills at the same time when the fires broke out. If it hadn't been for those drills more of the crew would have been injured or died in the early morning hours.

The senior agent knew there was no way these fires could have been just accidents. He was wondering if whoever had set these fires planned it so there would have fewer casualties. He also wondered how did these three ships manage to catch on fire at the same time? Was there someone on each of these ships at the time the fires started or was some kind of timer used to trigger these fires? It was still too early in the investigation and these were just a few of the questions that were going to need to be answered.

His team spent the next couple of hours collecting all the evidence, shooting pictures and doing sketches. As soon as they were finished a military helicopter flew all the evidence back to NCIS. McGee uploaded all the pictures they had taken to send to Abby so she could start analyzing them.

While Gibbs, Brooks and Brown were interviewing the crew; McGee began checking into the crew's backgrounds on all three of the ships to see if there were any connections between them. Gibbs also assigned McGee as the contact person between the other investigating teams. This way, the younger man could keep Gibbs abreast of how the investigation was going on the other ships since the senior agent couldn't be in three places at one time.

It was getting late in the evening and there was still a lot more interviews to do. Gibbs ordered Brooks and Brown to stay behind to finish them. He and McGee headed back to DC.

_**In The Early Morning Hours…**_

It was around three when Gibbs finally made it back home. The house was quiet and everyone was asleep. He could hear some soft snoring coming from the living room. He was tired and he headed upstairs. When he opened the bedroom door, Shannon looked like she was a sleep and he didn't want to wake her up. He removed his clothes and slid under the covers.

Shannon turned around and looked at him, "I was starting to wonder if you were going to come home or not?"

"(Yawn) I almost didn't. I had thought about sleeping at my desk but I (yawn) decided against it."

"I listened to the President's speech today. He mentioned that federal agents were already on the ships investigating. He promised whoever did this will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Gibbs…I also saw the pictures of the damage and it looked really bad."

Gibbs kissed Shannon on the lips and then moved back just a little so he could make eye contact with his wife. "Shan, it's really bad. I (yawn) can't believe we don't have more deaths than we did. I…can tell this is going to be a very long (yawn) investigation. For now, I can't promise when or if I will be home. I only came home to get a few hours of sleep and to freshen up a little. I am going to have to go back to work (yawn) in a couple of hours. I am not sure when I will be home again."

"Honey I have to warn you. Tony saw you on the TV today. He became upset when he realized you were on that damaged ship. He was worried you were going to get hurt. I told him you had to be there it was part of your job as an investigator to find out who did this and to see that they are punished."

"I will talk to him before I leave for work. (Yawn)"

Shannon moved closer to her husband and turned her back to him so they could spoon together. She knew this sometimes helped him sleep. Gibbs wrapped his arm protectively around her. It wasn't much longer before she could hear soft snoring coming from behind her.

Around seven in the morning Gibbs woke up. He took a shower and got dressed. He headed downstairs and into the kitchen. Shannon had coffee and breakfast waiting for him. Kelly and Mark were already awake and sitting at the kitchen table. Gibbs talked with them for a little while. When he was finished eating he headed upstairs. He wasn't going to leave without seeing his son. When he opened the door, Tony was still asleep. The father walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Gibbs studied his sleeping son for a few seconds and grinned. The boy looked so much like his father. He watched as the boy stirred and slowly open his eyes.

"Hi..."

Tony smiled at his dad and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "Dad are…are you okay? Are you going to be…be staying home now?"

"No, I have to leave in a few minutes but I wanted to see you before I left."

Tony sat up and hugged his father, "I…saw the pictures. I saw you on TV. I was…was scared you might get hurt."

Gibbs kissed the boy on the top of his head as he hugged him. "Tony, you can see I am okay. You also know I am a federal agent and it's my job to investigate when people do bad things."

"What if another fire bro…broke out again? You could have been hurt…hurt."

"I promise you, safety is the first thing on my mind. I would have not gone down into the lower decks until the navy firemen said it was okay."

Gibbs moved back so he could get a good look at his son, "Tony…I have to go now, I am not sure when I will be home. If you need me for any reason, remember you can call me at anytime. If I am busy just leave me a message and I will call you back as soon as I can, I promise." Gibbs hugged his son one more time and headed back to work.

The week seemed to fly by; Gibbs barely saw his family. He and his team were no closer to finding out who was involved with setting the fires on the ships than when they first started the investigation. They did have a few leads but none of them seem to pan out. No group had come forth to claim responsibility. Vance knew his people were doing everything possible.

_**Time To Head Home… **_

Saturday was finally here and it was time for Kelly and Mark to head back to California. Director Vance knew Gibbs' daughter was going home today. He pulled his senior agent aside and ordered him to take the whole day off and spend it with his family. He told Gibbs he would oversee the investigation while he was gone and call him if anything happens.

Gibbs, Shannon and Tony were standing just outside the roped off area. They were waiting for Kelly and Mark to finish checking in. Tony was looking around and studying his surroundings. He was both excited and a little nervous because he had never been in an airport before. The place was huge and he never saw so many people in one place. He watched as the crowds of people moved around him. He wondered where they were all going. Gibbs and Shannon both kept a close eye on him. They didn't want Tony wandering off and getting lost. They hadn't felt this protective since Kelly was a little girl.

When Kelly and Mark were finished checking in, they walked back over to say their goodbyes. Both mother and daughter were in tears as they hugged each other. When Kelly went to hug her dad, she had to promise him she would call them once her plane touched down in California. She knew he would be expecting it and if she didn't call she would never hear the end of it.

Lastly Kelly bent down and hugged her little brother as she whispered, "Tony, I am so glad that I now have you as a little brother. You take care of mom and dad for me. Remember, if you ever need to talk to someone you can always call your big sister. I am going to miss you squirt."

"I…I am going to miss you too."

Mark reach out and shook Tony's hand. "It was nice meeting you Tony. I will see you the next time we come out this way."

As the young couple headed toward the airport security lines, Kelly turned and waved one last time to her family before she disappeared into the crowd.

It was a few seconds later, Gibbs felt as if he was being watched. He looked around but didn't see anyone that looked suspicious. Maybe he was just imagining it because he was getting so little sleep lately. He reached down and took his son's hand. He looked over at his wife and told her it was time for them to leave.

As Gibbs, Shannon and Tony headed toward their car a huge plane flew over their heads. Gibbs looked up and said. "Tony, that's the type of plane Kelly and Mark will be flying back to California on."

Tony looked up and watched the plane for a few seconds. He finally asked, "Dad…how…how does a plane stay up in the sky?"

Gibbs looked at his son and smiled, "I am going to let your mom answer that one."

Shannon gave her husband a dirty look and smiled at her son; "We'll look it up on the computer when we get home."

Since Gibbs had the whole day off he took his wife and son out to lunch. When they were finished eating Gibbs dropped Shannon off at the house. He and Tony got into his pickup truck and headed to Sears. The father had wanted to keep a promise he had made to his son a few weeks ago. He decided it was time to purchase a basketball hoop to put over the garage. When they arrived at the store Gibbs found some basketball hoops with stands on sale and he bought one. When they got home the father and son worked together to assemble it. A little later, Gibbs and Tony were shooting hoops.

When Shannon had finished cleaning the house, she came outside and started playing basketball with her two boys. Gibbs noticed she was really good at it. When he asked her how she got so good, she just winked at him and said she used to date the captain of the basketball team…

Now that their vacation was over, Shannon was going to start working on Tony's education. She had planned to home school him for at least a year so she could help get his grades up. Both Gibbs and Shannon believed the only reason their son's grade scores were so low were because of the situation he had with his previous foster parents. There was no way a child who was malnourished and mistreated could ever make good grades.

To prepare herself, Shannon had talked with a few of her friends who were teachers and got their advice. She had spent quite a few hours at the library reading up on the subject. She put together a schedule and subject planner to help her keep on track. Lastly, she went out and bought all the books and material Tony was going to need.

On Monday, Shannon had to take Tony to see his speech therapist Audrey White. The woman had started working with Tony shortly after he was taken from the Walkers' home. Her office was almost forty miles from where the Gibbs lived but they didn't care. They knew Tony was comfortable working with her. Tony's therapist was pleased with some of the improvement since she had last seen him. Before they left, she gave Shannon some more exercises that he could start doing to help him improve his speech.

When Tony's visit was over, Shannon wanted to take him to the public library to get him a library card and a couple of books to read. As they left the parking lot and headed toward the library Shannon didn't notice that they were being followed. A black SUV stayed a few car lengths behind them. When she pulled into the library parking they followed her in and parked several rows behind her. They waited outside while she and Tony were in the library. It was about an hour later when they came out and headed home.

Once Shannon and Tony were inside the house, the driver of the car slowly drove by.

The man in the passenger's seat pulled out his cellphone, "I followed them like you asked us to. When do you want it done?"

"I want you to take care of it tomorrow. Remember, I don't care how you do it but I want it to look like an accident. Gibbs is getting too close. I need him to be distracted so I can finish out my plan…"


	14. Chapter 14

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

WARNING: There are very bad times ahead for the Gibbs Family.

_**Chapter 14**_

It was around ten that night when Gibbs finally made it home. He found Shannon and Tony in the living room. Shannon was sitting in the recliner watching an old Bette Davis movie while Tony was lying on the couch sound asleep. Gibbs couldn't help but grin when he saw Tony had fallen asleep hugging his basketball.

Shannon slid out of the chair so she could hug her husband. She whispered into his ear, "Gibbs, I am so glad you're home but I was beginning to wonder if we were going to ever see you again?"

"Blame it on (yawn) Agent McGee because he found a new lead on that computer of his so we had to go check it out. It took us several (yawn) hours just to collect everything. We are just waiting now for the evidence to be processed and all the tests come back. I told my team to go home and get some rest because tomorrow was going to be a very busy day. It's going to take at least eight hours before we get the results back."

Shannon looked at her husband, "Are you hungry? I can warm something up for you."

"No, I had some cold pizza about two hours ago…I fine for now."

Shannon looked over to the couch, "Your son was hoping you would come home this evening and play a couple of games of basketball with him before it got dark outside. I had offered to play but no he just wanted to play with his dad. So, he sat there on the couch with that damn ball waiting for you until he finally fell asleep. He fell asleep about an hour ago."

Gibbs walked over to the couch and sat down on the edge of it so he could get a closer look at his son. He brushed Tony's hair off his forehead and then he gently called his name. He watched as those big green eyes began to slowly open. It took Tony a few seconds but he finally realized that he dad was home. He sat up and hugged him.

For the next hour, Gibbs was tired as all hell, but he forced himself to stay awake and listen to his very talkative son. The child was telling him about all the things he had done that day and about the book he had started reading. When Tony was finished Gibbs kissed his son on the top of the head and told him it was time for bed. He watched as Tony headed upstairs.

It wasn't long after Gibbs and Shannon headed upstairs themselves. Gibbs felt dirty and decided to take a shower before he went to bed. When he was finished he slipped under the covers. As he was lying there looking at his beautiful wife, he realized how little time he had been spending with her lately and she didn't deserve it. He decided it was time he showed her a little attention. Shannon at first thought Gibbs was going to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. She was surprised and very pleased when he reached over and began kissing her on the lips. That night the both made love to each other before they finally fell asleep…

It was just a just a little before daybreak; Gibbs got dressed. He was going to have to leave in about an hour but he wanted to spend a little time with his family before he left. While Shannon made breakfast, Gibbs went upstairs and woke his son up. Once Tony was dressed, they headed downstairs to eat. While they were eating, they talked about all their plans for today. Shannon told Gibbs that she and Tony were going to take care of the grocery shopping today and stopped by the dry cleaners and pick up his suits. When they were finished she was going to help Tony with his lessons.

Tony asked his dad if he was going to be home early today so they could play basketball. Gibbs told him if he could get off early he would but he doubted it. Right now until they find out who set those fires on the ships it maybe a while before he can do it. He felt bad when he saw the disappointment in those big green eyes. He looked over at his wife and she mouthed that she would talk with him later.

After Gibbs had left, Shannon sat down and had a very long talk with her son. She explained to him that his dad loved him very much and that if he could be here he would. Sometimes it is very hard for him because he has such an important job. Shannon did promise her son that when the investigation is over his dad would make it up to him. He may even get sick of seeing him around all the time. Tony just laughed a little but she didn't see the laughter in those green eyes. Shannon decided that she was going to give Kelly a call later. Maybe she more then anyone can help him to understand after all she went through it herself.

Shannon was planning to go to the mall today before she went shopping. Gibbs' birthday was coming up and she wanted to get him something special. When she and Tony finally found the perfect gift for him they left to go do some grocery shopping. The traffic was very heavy because of an accident up ahead. She decided to try and take an alternate route home. She was not familiar with the road and somehow took a wrong turn and got herself lost. She ended up on a very isolated road with just a few cars. She was starting to get a little nervous because she was not sure where they were. She looked at her son in the rearview mirror and could see he was just watching the scenery as it passed by.

Shannon didn't notice that she was being followed until a car pulled up next to her. A couple of seconds later, the dark SUV slammed into her car and ran her off the road. Shannon lost control of the car as it went off the road and rolled down an embankment. It turned over several times before it finally landed upright…

Shannon was barely conscious and was having trouble staying awake. Her head hurt so bad she wanted to cry. She tried calling her son's name but she got no answer. She tried to unfasten her seatbelt but was at that moment when she realized that she couldn't move her hands. She tried to move her feet but they also didn't work. Shannon had worked in the medical field long enough to know she was paralyzed but she also knew it could be a temporary thing. She wasn't going to panic just yet. She looked into the rearview mirror and check on her son. He looked like he was just sleeping. She could tell if he was just unconscious or dead.

A few seconds later, she heard voices. She looked into the mirror and saw two men heading toward the car. She hoped they were here to help. As they got nearer she could see the guns. She realized these must be the men who ran her off the road. She closed her eyes and prayed these men would think they are dead and leave them alone. She listened to them, as they got nearer.

"Let's get the pictures and get the hell out of here."

"Should we check to see if they are dead or not?"

"Look the boss said he didn't care if they were dead or not. He just wants to use them as a distraction."

"What's he going to do with the pictures?"

"How in the hell do I know? He told me to do it and I am doing it? He's paying us some big bucks to do this. I've learned a long time ago to keep my mouth shut and just do it."

Shannon could hear the noises coming from the camera. She prayed they would just take the pictures and leave.

A couple of minutes later, "You got them?"

"Yah, now let get out of here before someone drives by and gets suspicious."

Shannon was barely conscious; when she heard them leaving. She was having trouble staying awake. She tried to move again but nothing happened. She looked in the rearview mirror. She could now see blood slowly falling down one side of her son's face. Her little boy hadn't moved at all. She prayed that her child was just unconscious and he would be all right. She tried to call to him but he didn't move all. She could barely keep her eyes open. A lone tear fell down her cheek as she took one last look at his child and closed her eyes…

_**Missing…**_

Gibbs had tried several times to call his wife but he kept going into her voicemail. He wanted to let her know that he wouldn't be home for the next couple of days and to see if she could pack a bag for him. After the fourth time, his gut was now telling him something was wrong. Shannon usually called him back by now.

He told his team he would be back in about an hour. When he got home the house was empty. There was a note on the kitchen table saying that she and Tony were going grocery shopping and they should be back around noon. Gibbs looked at the clock and it was after one. It was not like Shannon, she was always so punctual. He called a few friends of hers and they told him that they hadn't seen her. He knew now something was very wrong.

Gibbs called Vance to let him know that his wife and son were missing and that he won't be coming in. Vance told him to call as soon as he found out anything. Also, call if he needed any help.

Gibbs wrote a note and left it on the table for Shannon just incase she returns home while he is not there. He wanted her to call him as soon as she could. He headed out to his car. He was going to drive to every grocery store he knew Shannon shopped at. He was hoping she was just broken down on the side of the road somewhere and her cellphone wasn't working. As he drove he kept looking for Shannon's car. What Gibbs didn't know was that Shannon had gone to the mall and took another route home.

It was getting late in the evening when he finally arrived back home. The house was still empty. He called Vance and asked him to have a BOLO put out on Shannon, Tony and Shannon's SUV. Next, he called his friend Fornell to see if he could help.

Lastly, he called his daughter Kelly, Shannon's mother and his father to give them the bad news. Each said they would be there as soon as they could.

Gibbs sat down in the empty living room and he picked up Tony's basketball and held it tightly to his chest. It wasn't fair. How could this have happened to him again and in this world? Was he always destined to be jinxed? He didn't know if he could take it again. He wasn't sure what he was going to do if he lost his wife and another child. He hugged the ball tighter and began to cry…

_**The Abyss….**_

_He woke in darkness. He was confused at first. He had no idea where he was or how he got there. He could hear someone crying and he wondered who it was. After a few seconds he recognized it was his boss. He had never heard Gibbs crying before. Gibbs was always the rock. It almost broke his heart. He had to go and find out what had happened…_


	15. Chapter 15

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

Ghost Tony is finally back.

WARNING: There are some very dark days ahead for the Gibbs Family.

_**Chapter 15**_

Gibbs didn't know how long he had been sitting in the living room hugging his son's basketball but he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He looked around and didn't see anyone but he felt as if someone was in the room with him. He had a strong feeling he knew who it was, "Tony…are you here?"

Gibbs watched as the ghost Tony materialized before him, _"It's just me Boss. I came because I felt something was wrong."_

"DiNozzo where did you go and why did you have to leave so quickly?"

_"I don't know Boss. I…don't know where I have been. I remember seeing lights and hearing voices and then nothing but darkness? I only woke up when I heard you. I could sense your sadness. Boss what is wrong? Did something happen to my son?"_

Gibbs put the basketball down. He stood up and looked at the apparition with hope, "Both Shannon and Tony are missing. They have been missing since this morning. They were supposed to have gone grocery shopping. I have looked all over and I can't find them anywhere. I am hoping maybe you can sense your son and tell me where he is?"

Tony just shook his head, _"Sorry Boss…but I can't sense him at all."_

Gibbs moved closer so his face was just inches from Tony's face and yelled, "Damn it DiNozzo! You need to try harder. You maybe our only hope we have in finding them before it is too late."

Tony took a step back, _"Boss…I...I'm sorry but I have already explained it to you that I can only sense my son when he is emotional. Right now…I don't feel anything coming from him."_

Gibbs looked as if his world just came to an end, "Are you telling my wife and my…our son is dead?"

"_NO BOSS…no, I just meant I can't sense him right now? He could be asleep or unconscious."_

"OR DEAD!"

"_Boss, please listen to me. I don't know if they are alive or dead. I…I wish I could tell you what you want to hear but…I just can't. I am sorry."_

Gibbs looked at Tony for a few seconds longer and then finally said, "Tony, I am just so worried about them. I don't know what I will do if I loss them. They mean everything to me."

"_I know…Boss. You don't have to explain it to me. Maybe…"_

It was at that moment the doorbell rang, Gibbs looked at the ghost Tony and watched as he disappeared. He walked to the door and opened it. He wasn't surprised to see Abby and Fornell. He stepped aside to let them in.

Abby immediately hugged Gibbs and started crying while she was in his arms, "Gibbs I am so…so sorry. Shannon and little Tony have got to be okay. We can't lose them. We need to think positive thought. I…I promise you Gibbs we are going to do everything we can to find them. You know that…don't you? What am I saying of course you would know that? Shannon and little Tony are going to be all right. We have to keep thinking that."

They continued to hug for a little while longer, Gibbs wasn't sure who was trying to comfort whom.

He finally looked at his old friend, "Tobias, have you heard anything?"

"No Jethro, I just came by to see if you needed some company? I bumped into Abby on the way in."

Gibbs looked at both of them, "I appreciate both you and Abby coming here but the only company I really want and need right now is Shannon and Tony."

"Jethro, you know we are going to do everything we possibly can to find your family. Your Director Vance has already taken care of the BOLOs."

Abby cut in, "Gibbs before I left work, I overheard Vance tell McGee to check into your wife's credit and cellphone usage to see when they were last used."

"Jethro also had the local LEOs and my people on alert. Right now we are not even sure what exactly happened to them. They could have been in an accident on the way home or there maybe some kind of foul play involved here because you are a federal agent. Like me, you have made a few enemies over the years."

Before Gibbs could say anything his cellphone started making a noise. He looked and saw it was McGee.

"Gibbs here."

"Boss, I…I am sorry...Director Vance told…us…about your wife…and son missing. I…am sor…"

Gibbs wanted his agent to get straight to the point, "McGee…just tell me why you are calling."

"Sorry Boss…Boss, Director Vance is going to oversee the…the investigation of the three navy ships. He's got Brooks and Brown working on several of the leads we have found."

Gibbs was doing everything he could not to lose his patients, "McGee…please what do you got on my family?"

"Oh sorry…Boss, the director asked me to look into your wife's credit card and cellphone use. I have ran a search on your…your wife's credit card. The last place she used it was at the mall and she…she used the card at eleven twenty-seven this morning. I called the female clerk who works at the store. She remembers your wife because she had a young boy with her that stuttered. She said the boy reminded her so much of her grandson."

"Did she say anything else?"

"She said the woman had bought a gift for her husband's upcoming birthday. Boss…I checked and there was no other activity on the card."

"Thanks McGee."

"Boss, I did check to see if your wife's cellphone was on but I didn't have any luck. I did have the videotapes from the cameras at the store and the mall's parking lot to be sent to NCIS. We should be receiving them in the next fifteen to twenty minutes. Maybe they can tell us if they were being followed or not."

"Tim…thanks. I really appreciate all your help." Gibbs hung up his cellphone.

Gibbs looked at Abby and Fornell, "It seems I…I have been looking in the wrong place. McGee just told me Shannon and Tony didn't go grocery shopping after all. She went to the mall to buy me a birthday gift. McGee is having the videotapes from the mall to be sent to NCIS just incase there was any foul play."

Fornell walked over to the window and looked out. "Jethro right now it's too dark to do any searching. We will have to wait until daylight before we can get the local LEOs to start searching the roads from the mall to your house. Maybe by then McGee will have looked at the tapes and let us know if there was anything that looked suspicious." The FBI agent pulled out his cellphone; "I am going to make a few calls so we can have them ready to start the search at the first light just incase."

Fornell stayed for another hour and then left when he was sure Gibbs was going to be okay and that Abby was going to stay with him.

_**Eleven Miles From Home…**_

It was almost midnight when Shannon regained consciousness. She tried to look around but the only light she had was coming from the full moon that kept dancing in and out of the clouds. She could hear the crickets and what sounded like a small animals scurrying through the bushes. Every now and then she could hear a car passing by on the road above. She tried again to move but still nothing happened. She looked into the rearview mirror. She was hoping she could see her son but she only saw darkness. She tried calling to him but she didn't get an answer. She tried yelling at him to wake up but she got the same result. She was now wondering if her little boy had passed away. She started crying…

_**The Gibbs House…**_

Kelly and Mark caught a redeye flight to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and rented a car from there. They arrived at Gibbs' house around two in the morning. As soon as Gibbs opened the door a crying Kelly flew into her father's arms. The father and daughter held each other tightly for the longest time. Once Kelly finally stopped crying she wanted to know what happened and what was being done to find her mother and little brother.

It was starting to get light outside; when Jackson finally arrived. Gibbs wasn't too happy about his father traveling by himself in the early morning hours but he knew there was no way he could have stopped his father. In many ways he and his father were just alike.

_**Eleven Miles From Home…**_

Shannon was cold, hungry and thirsty. She kept trying to not stare at the bottle of water that was lying on the floor. She felt like it was just taunting her. She swore to herself if she ever got out of this mess she was never going to buy that brand of water again. To get her mind off of it, she turned her attention to the rising sun.

As she was sitting there, she started to hear a very low moaning noise coming from behind her. She cried out in joy when she realized her little boy was alive. She looked in the mirror and saw some movement. She tried calling to him, "Tony? Tony…baby can you hear me…Please…please baby answer me. I need you to wake up."

The moaning continued for a little while longer and then it finally stopped. She looked into the mirror and was relieved to see that he was still breathing. He had just fallen unconscious again."

Tears were falling down her cheeks; she was frustrated and at a lost of what to do. She knew they both needed medical help and they needed it now. She looked down at her fingers and tried to get them to move. When they didn't move she started to cry even harder out of frustration.

_**The Search…**_

As soon as daybreak came, the local law enforcements started searching the roads from the mall to Gibbs' house just incase the car went off the road.

At the Gibbs house they were making plans. Jackson was going to stay at the house to answer the phone and wait for Shannon's mother Joann. She was supposed to be there around nine. Gibbs and Kelly planned to do some of their own searching. Abby had wanted to help but she had to head back to work.

_**Eleven Miles From Home…**_

It was starting to get dark again; it looked like they were going to have to spend another night in this living hell. She was hungry, thirsty and exhausted. Shannon didn't know if she could hold on much longer. She was afraid nobody would ever find them. As she tried to keep her eyes open she could hear the sound of movement behind her. She looked in the mirror and saw her son moving a little. It looked like he was finally starting to wake up.

She started yelling at him to get him to attention, "Tony…sweetie can you hear me? Please baby answer me? Please baby, I need you to answer me." She was almost in tears as she finally saw him open his eyes.

"Mom…Mommy…"

Shannon was never so happy to hear her son's voice, "Yes baby, it's Mommy."

"Mommy, my…my head hurts."

"I…I know baby. I am so sorry."

She could tell her son was confused. She watched as he looked around, "Where…where are we…we?"

"Tony…we have been in a car accident. Honey, I…I need you to listen to me. I need you to help me because I can't move. How bad are you hurt sweetie?"

"My…my head hurts and my arm hurts too…too."

Shannon knew her child shouldn't move because he might have internal injuries. She also knew he was their only hope if they were ever going to be rescued. "Do you think you can get out of the car?"

"I…I can…can try."

She watched as her son slowly undid his seatbelt. She could see he was favoring his right arm. He tried to open the door but it was stuck. "Mommy…I…I can't open it."

"Tony sweetie can you try…to…open…the other…door?" Shannon was barely conscious now. It was getting harder and harder for her to stay awake.

It took Tony a while but he finally managed to get the door open. When he looked over to his mother he could tell she had passed out. He stood there and didn't know what to do.

It was at that moment he heard his name being called. Tony turned to see his father standing next to him.

"Daddy?"


	16. Chapter 16

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them.

I will most likely post weekly. Chapter 17 will probably posted next Friday. If I can do it sooner I will.

I hope you enjoy.

_**Chapter 16**_

The ghost Tony was worried as he knelt down to get a better look at his injured son. He saw the dried blood on the side of the child's head and he also noticed the injured arm. He wished he could hug the child and take the pain away but he knew it was not going to happen. He smiled and hoped that would give him some comfort. _"Yes, it's me."_

The young boy just stared at his father with his mouth open for a few seconds. He was still finding it hard to believe his father was here. He thought he was never going to see him again. "Daddy, you…you come b…back?"

The father Tony continued to smile as he looked at his son,_ "Yes, I am here and I come to help." _He looked over at the damaged car and saw Shannon. He could tell she was still alive but hurt badly.

Little Tony also looked over at his mother, "C…can you help my Mommy…Mommy? She is hurt really b…bad. She…she told me she can't move and that I…I was going to have to help her."

"We will help her together." The apparition looked at the unconscious woman and then back to his son. He knew they both needed to get medical help as soon as possible. He looked around and had no idea where this place was so he couldn't just tell Gibbs the location. He could hear cars passing on the road above. He told his son to sit down on a rock and wait there for him. He had to leave for a few seconds and he promised he would be right back. He disappeared before his child's eyes.

Tony reappeared a few feet from the highway. There was still enough light left to look around. He looked both directions and didn't see any kind of sign that would give him a location. He knew this was about as far away from his son he could go without vanishing into the abyss. If that happen he wouldn't be able to help his son or Shannon.

Within seconds Tony was back with his son. The child sat quietly and watched as his ghost father tried to figure out what to do next. The ghost paced until it finally hit him. He moved toward the car and looked around until he saw what he was looking for. He smiled when he saw Shannon's handbag. He turned back to his son.

"_Tony, I need you to get your mom's handbag. See if you can find her cellphone. Maybe you can call Gibbs and someone can trace that call to find out our location."_

The boy stood up and walked over to the car. He opened the front passenger's side door. He stared at his unconscious mother for a few seconds before he reached in with his good hand and pulled the handbag out. He started going through it. It took him a few seconds but he finally found the cellphone. He opened it up. There was power but no bars. They were in a dead zone.

The ghost looked up at the steep embankment. He now realized they were going to have to go with plan B. There was still a few minutes of light left but he wasn't sure if that would be enough light for what he had planned. He did remember seeing a pocket flashlight in Shannon's handbag. He was now wondering if his injured son could make it up the hill. The boy had only one good arm to work with beside the other injuries he had. His son could take the cellphone up there and maybe get a signal and he could call Gibbs.

The ghost looked at his son, _"Tony…if I needed you to climb up the hill, do you think you can do it? I promise I will be with you all the way."_

The boy looked up. He knew he really had no choice in the matter. If he wanted to save his mother he was going to have to do whatever it take to save her. He was going to have her back. "I…I can try."

Tony was never so proud of his son as he was at this moment, _"Good…It's getting dark you are going to need a flashlight. I saw one in your mom's handbag. You need to take it with you."_

The boy put the cellphone in his back pocket and then got the pocket flashlight out of Shannon's bag. He put that in his front pocket. He was going to need his good hand free to help him climb the slope. He took one last looked at his mother and headed toward the slope. His father was at his side.

Little Tony was about a quarter of the way up the slope when Shannon finally regained consciousness. She looked in the rearview mirror and didn't see her son. She looked around as far as her eyes would let her but still didn't see him. She was about to panic when she heard her son talking. It sounded like he was taking to someone. She was now wondering if her son's head injury was causing him to hallucinate. She was worried because if her son makes it up to the top of the embankment, he might walk into oncoming traffic on the highway and get killed. She tried calling to him to make him stop but all that came out of her mouth was just a whisper.

Climbing up the slope turned out to be very difficult for the one-arm boy. Several times he slipped but managed to catch himself before he fell all the way back down. His father stayed by his side all the way. The father Tony tried to get his son to talk so he could keep the boy's mind off of his pain. The boy was telling him about all the things that happened since he last saw him.

Around three quarters of the way up the slope it was getting too dark to see anything. The boy Tony took the flashlight out of his pocket. He placed it in his mouth. He was going to still need his arm to help him to climb. He takes a step and gets his bearings and then put the flashlight back into his mouth. The father hated himself for not be able to do anything to help.

Once they got to the top, the boy Tony pulled at the cellphone and opened it up. Both father and son grinned when they saw bars. The boy pressed the number that would call Gibbs.

_**Back At The Gibbs' House…**_

Gibbs was sitting at the kitchen table talking with his daughter Kelly, Shannon's mother Joann, Jackson and Mark about their plans for tomorrow. Some people from NCIS had promised to help with the search in the morning. Kelly with Abby's help had made some flyer's to start passing out.

As he was sitting there his cellphone make a noise. He looked down and was surprised to see the call was from Shannon. He signaled everyone to be quiet.

"Shannon?"

"No…Daddy it is me…me…"

"Tony where are you and where is your mom?"

"We…we had an accident. We went d…down this hill. Mommy's hurt really bad. "

"Son…can you tell me where you are?"

"I…I don't know."

"Are you by yourself?"

"No…my daddy is with me…me."

"Does he know where you are?"

"No."

"Listen Tony, I am going to get someone to trace this call. I need you to stay on this line. Do not hang up, do you understand?"

"Uh-huh…"

Gibbs ordered his daughter to give him her cellphone. Everyone around the table sat quietly while he a made the call.

McGee had just finished reading his two kids a bedtime story when his cellphone vibrated. He looked at it and saw that it was Gibbs. He knew immediately that he needed to take the call.

"McGee here…"

"McGee…I need you to trace my cellphone call right now. Shannon and Tony both were in an accident. Right now my son is on the other line and he doesn't know where he is. I need you to trace the call and find out where my son is."

"Will do," He immediately went to his computer. Within a few seconds he got the information, "Boss, I got the location. He is on the highway about eleven miles from your home."

"McGee give me their location and call 911 and let them know." Gibbs hung up the cellphone. He picked up his phone.

"Tony are you still there?"

"Uh-huh…"

"I got your location. You stay put and don't move. Help is on its way. I should be there in about ten or fifteen minutes. I am going to give my cellphone to Kelly and she is going to talk with you while I drive."

"Hey squirt, it's your big sister."

As Kelly was talking to her little brother, Gibbs told the others he would call as soon as they found them. Gibbs signaled Kelly to follow him as he was heading out the door.

It didn't take Gibbs long to reach the highway. As he got nearer to his destination he could see the flashing lights from a distance. The emergency vehicles had beaten them by only seconds. Gibbs parked his truck a little past all the flashing lights. As he got out of his truck he could see the paramedics running over to his son. A policeman tried to stop him from going any further but Gibbs showed him his badge. He also told him that it was wife and child that were in the accident. The officer stepped back when he realized these were the family of the two people everyone had been searching for these past couple of days.

Gibbs ran to his son as one of the paramedics was examining the boy's eyes. Kelly was not too far behind him. Another paramedic was putting a neck brace on Tony just incase it was needed.

Gibbs looked at his son and saw the dried blood on the side of his head. He didn't realize that Tony had been hurt. He smiled as he knelt down next to him, "Tony…are you okay?"

The boy acted like he didn't hear his father. He was too busy trying to turn his head so he could see the firemen heading down to where his mother was but the neck collar stopped him. He looked back at his father, "Dad...Mommy is…is hurt bad. They…they have to get her out of there and into a hoss…hospi…tal."

Gibbs tried to comfort his son, "They will. Just give them some time."

One of the paramedics cut into the conversation. "Sir, we are going to have to take the boy to the hospital now. Are you going to be coming with us?"

Gibbs looked at Tony. He wanted to go with him but he needed to stay here for Shannon. It was Kelly who stepped in, "Squirt…if you don't mind, I will ride with you. This way, our dad can stay here with mom to make sure she is okay."

Tony was getting tired, "Kay…"

Gibbs watched as they placed his boy on the gurney. He moved closer to his son and kissed him on the forehead. "I will see you shortly. I love you Tony."

The boy barely could keep his eyes open, "I…I love you too, Daddy…"

Gibbs stood there and watched as they loaded Tony into the ambulance and his daughter climbed into the passenger's side and sat down. The ambulance with its flashing lights and sirens headed down the highway and then disappeared out of sight. Gibbs had never felt so alone.

Gibbs now turned his attention toward his wife. He stopped the first fireman he came to and asked if she was alive or not. The fireman told him she was alive but she had some serious injuries. They were going to have to use the Jaws of Life to get her out of the car. He moved to the edge of the embankment and looked down. The firemen had the floodlights on so they could see what they were doing. Gibbs could tell it was at least a fifty to forty foot drop with a sixty-degree angle. He wondered how they could have survived.

It took them almost thirty minutes before they freed her and another fifteen minutes before they could carry her to safety. When they finally arrived at the top of the embankment, Gibbs was waiting. Shannon was barely conscious but she managed to smile when she saw her husband. The paramedics gave them a few seconds.

Gibbs kissed his wife, "I love you."

She smiled back at him as she closed her eyes.

Gibbs had to step back so the paramedics could load her into the ambulance. "Are you going to come with us sir?"

"No, I have my truck. I will meet you at the hospital." Gibbs watched as the ambulance left….


	17. Chapter 17

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

Here is the next chapter. I hope you like?

Also, to give you a heads up there will probably be three or four more chapters before this story is complete.

_**Chapter 17**_

_**Crash Site…**_

He watched as the ambulance disappeared from sight. When he turned to head to his pickup truck, he wasn't surprised to see the ghost Tony standing next to him.

Gibbs looked around to make sure nobody was close by, "Tony thank you for helping me to find them."

Tony smiled, _"Boss, I can't take credit for that, it was all the little guy's doing. I was just there for moral support."_

Gibbs just grinned at the apparition. He was trying to be careful because he didn't want any of the firemen to over hear or see him talking to thin air. He headed toward his pickup. Tony stayed with him until he reached the hospital then he vanished. Gibbs parked his pickup in the visitor parking area and headed toward the emergency entrance.

_**Emergency Room…**_

When Gibbs asked to see Shannon, someone handed him a clipboard full of forms that he had to fill out and sign. The forms were for both Shannon and Tony. When he was finished filling them out, they pointed him in the direction of the waiting room and told him as soon as the doctors were finished examining his wife and son they will come and get him.

When Gibbs entered the waiting room, he found the rest of his family in there. Mark had stayed at the house to answer the phone just incase someone called. Kelly ran to her father and hugged him. "Daddy how is Mom?"

"I don't know yet, they are examining her right now. How is Tony?"

"We don't know, they won't give us any information or let any of us see him. The doctor said he was only going to talk with you and nobody else."

Gibbs immediately walked out of the waiting room and demanded to see Tony's doctor. Tony's doctor was standing by the nurses' station and told Gibbs to follow him. They went into one of the empty room for privacy.

"What is going on with my son and why won't you tell my family anything about his condition?"

The doctor looked at him with anger, "Before I tell you anything about your son, I want you to give me a reason why I shouldn't call Child Protective Services on you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"While I was examining your child, I noticed a number of old scars that could have only happened from someone hitting that poor child repeatedly with a belt. I feel it is my moral duty as a doctor and a human being to report any child abuse I suspect. Before I call child services on you I wanted to give you a chance to explain to me why he has those scars."

Gibbs wanted to be angry at the doctor for thinking he would hurt his child but at the same time he knew the doctor was only doing his job, "Tony is my adopted son. We have only had him for a few months. It was his foster parents who he was living with previously that beat him. Those scars happened when he was living with them. I promise you doctor, both my wife and I love that little boy with all our hearts. We would never hurt him in anyway."

The doctor looked relieved, "Please tell me those bastards were punished?"

"They will be. Their case is still going through the courts. Now…can you please tell me about my son's condition and when can we see him?"

"You should be able to see your son in about an hour. Tony has a minor concussion, a badly fractured right arm and a very nasty bruise on his chest from the safety belt. He is going to be in a lot of pain for a while but the meds we gave him should take care of that. We are putting a cast on his injured arm. I have also ordered one more x-ray of his chest to make sure he doesn't have any other internal injuries that we are not aware of and then he should be ready to be moved to his room. Right now the staff is getting his room ready. When they are finished, you and your family can wait in there for him."

"Thanks Doctor."

Gibbs headed back to the waiting room to let the others know about Tony's condition. Everyone seemed to be relieved that he was going to be okay.

_**Tony's Room…**_

It was a few minutes later a nurse came and showed them to Tony's room. While they were waiting for Tony, Shannon's doctor came in and talked with them about her condition. He told them that Shannon had a concussion and would have to be watched closely. She also had a broken rib from the seatbelt and her left leg was broken in two places. What concerned the doctor the most was that Shannon was paralyzed from the neck down. There was some swelling in the back of her neck and it was causing pressure on the nerves on her spinal cord. He was not sure if it was permanent or just temporary. They were going to have to wait and see what happens once the swelling goes down.

Shannon's mother started crying. Kelly walked over and tried to comfort her grandmother.

Gibbs looked at the doctor and asked, "How long before we will know?"

"Probably within the next twenty-four hours."

"When can we see Shannon?"

"We are putting a cast on her leg at this very moment. She has a couple more tests that will need to be done." The doctor looked at his watch, "You should be able to see her in about two hours. I will have someone come by and get you when we move her to the ICU. Mister Gibbs, I am sorry but I can only allow you to see your wife tonight. The rest of the family will have to wait until the morning. She is going to be pretty groggy from the drugs and I don't want her getting too overwhelmed with visitors." The doctor stayed a few more minutes to answer a couple of questions from Shannon's mother and then he left.

Gibbs just stood there for a few seconds trying to take it all in. He started to wonder how Shannon was going to take it if she could never walk again. He loved his wife and he knew she was a fighter. He also knew he was going to stand by her no matter what happens. A few seconds later, he felt a hand on his shoulder. His turned and found his father standing next to him, "Son…no matter what happens you can count on us to be here for Shannon, Tony and you. You are not alone in this, just remember that."

Gibbs knew no matter how many times he and his father fought he could still always count on him. "Thanks Dad. I really appreciate it."

A few minutes later, Tony was wheeled into the room. The boy looked so tiny on the bed. He also looked like he was sleeping. Gibbs walked over and kissed him on the forehead. When he moved back he was surprised to see a pair of green eyes staring at him.

"Daddy?"

Gibbs smiled, "Yah it is me kiddo."

Tony looked around the room and saw his grandfather, Kelly and a strange woman. He looked back at his dad, "Is…is mommy okay?"

"She will be."

"Can I…I see her?"

"Sorry buddy, but we are all going to have to wait a little while longer before we can see your mom. They are still running some tests."

Tony's eyes wandered to the strange woman standing next to Kelly. "Who are…are you?"

Joann smiled and moved a little closer to the bed so she could see her grandson for the first time, "I am Shannon's mother so that makes me your grandmother. Sweetie I am so glad I am finally getting to see and meet my hero of a grandson."

"Hero, I…I am no hero?"

Gibbs smiled at his son, "Tony…what you did today saved your mom's life. If it wasn't for you we would have never found her in time."

"I…I only called you on the cell…cellphone, Dad...Daddy."

Gibbs smiled, "Son…I saw that hill you had to climb up to make that call. It was a very long climb you had to make in the dark while you were injured. To me, only a true hero would have attempted it. I am so proud of you."

Tony smiled, he felt as if he finally did something in his life that mattered. He stayed awake as long as he could and then finally fell asleep.

Since they were not going to be able to see Shannon until the morning, Kelly and Joann decided to head home to get a couple of hours of sleep. They would return in the morning so Gibbs and Jackson could go home and get some rest. Jackson was going to stay with his grandson when Gibbs goes to see his wife. They didn't want Tony to wake up only in the room.

_**Shannon's Room…**_

It was shortly after that, when one of the hospital staff came in and told Gibbs that he could go and see his wife now. Shannon was going to be staying in ICU and it was only two floors up from the children's ward. It didn't take Gibbs long to reach the room. When he entered it, Shannon's doctor was looking at her chart while several nurses were trying to get her settled in. He was surprised to see that she was awake. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Hi," was all he could think of saying at the moment. He was so worried about her.

Shannon was a little groggy but she managed to smile back at him, "Hi…yourself. How is…Tony? I was so…worried about him."

"He is going to be fine. He has a concussion, fracture arm and some bruises but he is going to be fine."

Tears started to flow down her cheeks, "Gibbs…right after the accident I…I thought we lost our little boy. He was unconscious for almost…a day. I couldn't get him to wake up."

Gibbs reached over and got some tissues from the nightstand. He began to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I promise you our boy is going to be fine. I was just talking with him a little while ago. He wants to see you. So, you don't worry about him. I promise you he is going to be fine. Right now, I am worried about you."

Shannon grinned, "So Mister Gibbs…does that mean you…still care about me?"

Gibbs grinned back at his wife, "I have to. Who's going to make me breakfast in the morning?"

"You…could always teach your…son to cook."

Gibbs kissed his wife, "Uhhh, but nobody can make chocolate pancakes like you do."

As Gibbs bent down to kiss his wife one more time, he felt her hands touch both sides of his face. He moved back and looked at her in amazement. "Shan, you…you can move? How?"

Shannon smiled, "I…started getting the feeling and movement back in my arms over an hour ago. I can also move my toes just a little. I ask the doctor not to say anything to you because I wanted it to be a surprise."

Gibbs didn't know what to say so he just kissed her again.

As Shannon lay there she started to remember something, "Gibbs…this wasn't just an accident."

"What do you mean?"

"I was…run off the road. There were these two men. After…we rolled down the hill…these two men climbed down the embankment and took some pictures of…Tony and me."

"Do you know why?"

Shannon shook her head as she looked at her husband, "I remember one of them saying that we were a distraction."

"A distraction for who and what was the purpose of the distraction?"


	18. Chapter 18

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them. They help me to know if I am on the right track with my stories or not.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

Here is the next chapter. I hope you like?

_**Chapter 18**_

_**Shannon's Room…**_

Gibbs watched as Shannon tried her best to keep her eyes open but she had very little success. He kissed her on the lips and told her to get some sleep. He was going to go and check on Tony. He would be back shortly.

What Gibbs didn't want his wife to know was how worried he was about his family's safety. He tried not to show it in front of her. He wanted her to just concentrate on getting better. Gibbs took one last looked at his wife before he left the room. He headed toward the nurses' station. He had them call the hospital security to have a guard stand outside both Shannon and Tony's rooms until he could get some NCIS agents out here to protect his family.

It was almost two in the morning when Gibbs called Vance. His gut was telling him that what had happened to his wife and son had something to do with the investigation of the fires on the navy warships. He knew he was waking the director up but he had no choice in the matter. He needed to let Vance know about what Shannon had told him and he also needed to get protection for his family. He might be able to protect one of them but he couldn't protect them all.

Vance had been sleeping when Gibbs called him. He immediately got up and went into another room so he wouldn't wake up his wife. He told Gibbs that he would have dispatch send agents to the hospital and Gibbs' house as soon as possible.

Vance had known Gibbs for a very long time and trusted the ex marines' gut. It had always amazed him how Gibbs could figure out things before everyone else could. He knew Gibbs needed to be with his family so Vance told his old friend and coworker to concentrate just on his family and not to worry about anything else. Vance would take care of the investigation himself. If he needed him he would call.

As soon as Gibbs got off the phone with Vance, he called his daughter Kelly. He wanted to warn her about what was going on and also to let her know that Vance was sending over a couple of agents to protect them. He told her to make sure Mark, Joann and she didn't leave the house without one of the agents going with them. If needed he also told her where he was keeping his guns these days. Shannon had made him move them once Tony came to live with him. The ex marine wasn't worried about his daughter with a gun because he knew she knew how to handle one after all he taught her how to use one a long time ago.

Gibbs had one more thing to do before he headed back to Shannon's room. He wanted to go check on his son and also warn his father of the impending danger. He did feel a little relieved when he saw a security guard standing just outside the room. As he entered the room he could see his son was sleeping. He signaled his father to follow him out into the hallway. Gibbs didn't want his little boy to hear what he had to say because he didn't want Tony to be scared. After Gibbs warned his father he headed back to Shannon's room.

It wasn't much longer before the NCIS agents showed up. Gibbs talked to them briefly and told them what he wanted them to do. Now that he had agents standing outside his wife and son's door, he felt his family was safe for the time being. It finally hit him how tired he was. He decided to try and get some sleep by sitting in the recliner chair that was in Shannon's ICU room. As he sat there his mind kept going over what his wife had told him. Why would someone want to run his wife and child off the road? Why were they being used as a distraction and a distraction for what? His gut was telling him it had to do with the case he and his team were working on. Maybe they were just getting too close to whoever set the fires on those ships?

Gibbs didn't know when it happened but he finally managed to get a couple of hours of sleep. He had awakened, as the nurses started moving around to check Shannon's vitals. He looked at his watch and it was slightly after six in the morning. The nurses told him they were going to take his wife for some more tests and x-rays. Shannon's doctor wanted to compare the x-rays they had taken yesterday to what they were going to take this morning now that some of the swelling has gone down. They also told him, Shannon would be gone for an hour. If everything looks good they were going to be moving her out of ICU and into a private room.

Gibbs decided it was time to get up and go find some coffee and check on his son.

_**Tony's Room…**_

When Gibbs arrived at Tony's room, he had two cups of coffee in his hands. He acknowledged the agent as he walked past him. He found his father was wide-awake and reading a newspaper. He smiled and handed him a cup of coffee. He walked over to the bed, to check on his son and was surprised to see a pair of green eyes staring right at him.

"Hi," he whispered and reached over to push the hair off the son's forehead.

"Hi…hi Daddy. Did…did you see mommy? Is she okay?"

"Yes…your mom is going to be fine. She told me to tell you hi and that she missed you?"

"I…miss her too. Can…I go see her now?"

Gibbs just laughed a little, "Sorry, but you are going to have to wait just a little while longer. I promise you when you get released from the hospital this morning, I will take you to see your mom before we head home. How does that sound?"

Tony looked upset, "You…mean, she…can't come home w…with us?"

"No, she is going to have to stay in the hospital a little while longer. The doctor wants to keep an eye on her to make sure she is okay before she can come home with us."

Gibbs could tell Tony didn't like the idea but he had something else on his mind.

"What is it son?"

"Can…can mommy move? I mean can she…she move her arms and legs. She…couldn't when we were back in the car. She told me…me so."

Gibbs smiled and nodded his head, "Yes she can move her arms and legs now. Tony, I promise she is going to be fine."

Tony just smiled.

Gibbs stayed with his son for a little while and then headed back to Shannon's room. He hated to leave him but he knew his son was in good hands with his grandfather. Right now, he needed to be with his wife.

_**Shannon's room…**_

When Gibbs returned to Shannon's room he found the nurse had adjusted her bed so she was able to sit up just a little and look around the room. She smiled when she saw him. All the tests they took this morning looked good. They were going to be moving Shannon out of ICU and into a private room within the next hour.

Gibbs and Shannon were sitting in her new room talking when Kelly and Joann walked in. The agent who was guarding them stayed just outside the door. As soon as Joann saw that her daughter was awake she started telling her when she gets out of the hospital that Shannon and her little boy were going to come and stay with her. Gibbs could tell his mother-in-law was starting to upset his wife. When he tried to intervene, Joann attacked him verbally and told him it was his fault that she almost lost her daughter and grandson.

Shannon started to get angry with her mother. She was not going to lie there and let her mother bash her husband. She knew in no way was Gibbs responsible for what happened to them. Shannon knew her husband had a very important job and he was really good at it. It is not his fault when the bad guys try to retaliate when Gibbs tries to put them behind bars. She told her mother if she said one more negative thing about her husband she could just leave.

Joann just stood there and looked at her daughter in surprise. She finally spoke, "Honey, I am just worried about you."

"Mom…I love you to death but I also love my husband. If you want to stay I would love to have you. But remember I am not going to lay here and have you talk about my husband that way."

Joann looked at her son-in-law and apologized. She knew she was wrong but she still was very worried about her daughter and that wasn't going to change.

It was around ten when Tony was released from the hospital. Gibbs kept his promise and took Tony to see his mother. When he wheeled Tony into the room the boy's face lit up. He helped Tony out of the chair and then helped him sit on the edge of the bed so he could be closer to his mother.

Shannon smiled at him. Her little boy was so overwhelmed when he saw her he started to cry. Shannon reached out and pulled him into her arms. "Shhh baby, it's okay. We are both going to be okay."

They stayed that way for the longest time and then Shannon finally moved her son back just a little so she could get a better look at him. "I see you got a cast like I do. How about I sign yours and you can sign mine?"

Tony wiped the tears from his face, "Why…why would we do that?"

Gibbs handed Tony some tissues and Shannon a pen, "Because it is tradition when someone has a cast on to write them a get-well message. When your mom is finished it's my turn."

Tony smiled when he saw what she had written on his cast. _"To my Tony and my hero. I hope you get better soon. Love Mom."_

Gibbs, Jackson and Tony stayed for another few minutes and then left to go home. Joann and Kelly were going to stay with Shannon so Gibbs could get some sleep.

The medication Tony had been given made him a little loopy and very tired. When they got home Tony was sound asleep in the back of the car. Gibbs had to carry him into the house and up to his bedroom. He removed Tony's shoes and covered him with a blanket. Just as Gibbs was getting ready to leave, Tony opened his eyes and asked him if he could stay with him just for a few minutes. He just didn't want to be alone. Gibbs lay down and soon they were both sound asleep. Jackson came to check on them to make sure they were all right and then he headed downstairs to get himself some sleep.

_**NCIS…**_

_Seven hours earlier, Vance had called an emergency meeting with all the teams who had been involved with the cases to do with the fires on the three navy warships. He wanted them to go back over all the leads Gibbs team had been working on and see if they had missed something. Vance had agreed with Gibbs, he believe their answers will lie somewhere in those leads._

_**Chesapeake Bay…**_

Samuel D. Dye was sitting in his yacht watching the military ships off in a distance. He had been sitting there most of the morning. Over the years he had earned a lot of money through the stock markets. He used his money to get all the things he wanted but this time it had not worked. He was angry and bitter because when the Secretary of the Navy position became available he was hoping to get it but it was given to that self-centered narcissist bastard of a Clayton Jarvis. Dye hated the man with a passion. Jarvis had gloated right in his face after he got the position. It was then Dye started to make plans to destroy the man at all cost and he didn't care who he hurt to do it.

As Dye took another sip he laughed to himself. It had taken him several months to find the right seamen who were willing to set the fires on the warships. These men were experts and he knew they would not get caught. He had always believed for the right price he could buy anyone and it appears he was right.

Dye's main purpose for these fires and deaths on the military ships were to draw attention to the media that Jarvis was a complete idiot and unfit to do his job. Dye had more plans to do damage to Jarvis' career but special NCIS Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was getting in his way. He knew the only way he could distract this man was through his family. He had hoped if something happened to Gibbs' family that he would be spending time with them instead. Now that it has happened he could start working on his next plan…


	19. Chapter 19

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them. They help me to know if I am on the right track with my stories or not.

I will most likely post weekly. If I can do it sooner I will.

Here is the next chapter. There should be a couple more to go before this story is complete. I hope you enjoy?

_**Chapter 19**_

_**Gibbs House…**_

Gibbs lay in the bed for a few minutes longer so he could watch his little boy sleep. The child looked so peaceful. Gibbs finally looked at his watch and knew he had to get up. He was going to have to take a quick shower and change into some fresh clothes before he went by the hospital to pick his daughter up. Kelly's fiancé Mark was heading home this evening. He was going to have to drop off the car rental and catch a flight. Kelly wanted to go to the airport and see him off. Mark would have liked to stay longer but he needed to get back to California because he had some things to take care of that couldn't wait.

Kelly on the other hand was going to be staying one more week so she could spend some time with her mother and help out if needed. She had already cleared it with the college. The father in Gibbs was happy to know that his daughter was going to be around a little longer because he enjoyed her company. The agent in him felt he could protect her if anything was to happen…

_**Chesapeake Bay…**_

Sam D. Dye was watching as the two men boarded his yacht. He handed them their drinks. "It's about time you two got here. What took you so long?"

"We would have been here sooner but that stupid Jarvis decided to pay a last minute visit to NCIS. He was there over two hours."

"Do you know what the meeting was about?"

"Yah, Jarvis wanted to put some pressure on Director Vance. He believes NCIS is taking too long. He thinks the director should bring in more agents and get help from the other agencies. What that idiot doesn't realize is that Vance is already doing everything he can. We are just doing a better job at covering our tracks."

Dye laughed out loud, he had been watching the news and knew the media had been putting pressure on the President to get some answers. There was not one day that didn't go by without some newspaper or news show having a family member of one of the dead navy men demanding answers. The President in turn was putting pressure on Clayton Jarvis to solve the problem and bring the people who are responsible to justice.

_**Hospital…**_

After they saw Mark off, Gibbs and Kelly had to stop by the house to get Joann a fresh change of clothes before they headed to the hospital. Joann wanted to stay one more night with her daughter. After that Kelly and she were going to take turns.

When they entered the house they found Tony wide-awake. As soon as the boy found out they were going to the hospital to see his mother he begged to go with them. Gibbs almost didn't take him because it was getting late. He was glad he did. He saw one of the most beautiful smiles on Shannon's face when she saw her son enter the room. She reached out her arms for Tony to come to her. Gibbs helped him up on the bed. He watched and listened as his wife and son talked for a few minutes. These two had seemed to have form a special bond since the accident.

It was Kelly who finally broke the two up. She walked over to her little brother and said, "Hey Squirt…let's let mom and dad have some alone time. How about you, grandma and me go get something to eat at the hospital cafeteria? I heard they make a mean meatloaf?"

Tony looked at his mother and she smiled at him, "Tony, why don't you go with them and make sure they bring your dad back some of the meatloaf. I bet these past couple of days he has hardly eating anything?"

Tony looked at both his mom and dad and just nodded. Gibbs helped him down and he left with his sister and grandmother.

Gibbs walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. He smiled and kissed his wife on her lips, "Finally alone at last."

Shannon laughed and hugged him. "I know what you mean, Gibbs. I love both my mother and daughter to death but I really miss you being in bed with me. I can't wait till I get home and spend some real alone time."

Gibbs laughed, "Don't forget we still have our son."

She kissed him on the lips, "Yes, but we can always send him to bed or his room."

"Shannon, do you know when you are getting out of here?"

"The doctor told me it's going to be another couple of days."

Gibbs just smiled because he couldn't wait.

_**Gibbs House…**_

Early next morning Kelly, Gibbs, Jackson and Tony were sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast. Gibbs and Kelly were watching as Jackson reached over and started cutting up Tony's pancakes. The boy was very awkward trying to use his fork with his left hand. He kept dropping more of his pancake on the plate than getting it in his mouth.

Gibbs smiled because it brought back memories of another time and place when the adult Tony and Ziva were working undercover and posing as married assassins. The male assassin Tony had to pose as was left-handed. Gibbs still could remember the younger agent trying to cut his steak up into pieces with his left hand. Tony got so frustrated that he finally gave up and ate a salad instead.

Gibbs grinned as the younger Tony tried one more time to use his fork to pick up a piece of pancake. He watched as the boy made a face and then finally gave up and put the fork down. The boy picked up a piece of pancake with his fingers and popped it into his mouth. Tony smiled and sat there in triumph…

It was an hour later when Gibbs and Kelly were getting ready to leave.

Tony ran to is father, "When am I…I going to see mommy today?"

Gibbs shook his head, "Tony…I am sorry but you are going to have stay home with your grandpa today. I have to drop Kelly off at the hospital and then I have to go to NCIS and talk with my boss and team for a while. I am not sure when I will be back."

Tony did something that he had never done before. He was now questioning his father. "Why can't I…I go with Kelly? She…she can watch me…me."

"Son, you are still healing and need to rest. You can't stay at the hospital for too long. You sister Kelly and grandma are going to be staying all day with you mom. They won't be able to bring you back home so you can take a nap. Tony I am sorry but for now, you are going to have to stay home."

Gibb could see his son's little mind just turning. The boy was trying his best to figure out a way to get his dad to take him to the hospital so he could see his mother. Tony finally said, "No, I…I want to go see mommy. I want to go now!"

Ever since, Tony had come to live with him this child had never acted this way, Gibbs knew there was something seriously bothering his son because Tony's eyes started watering. Gibbs moved closer to him, "Son…what is it? What is wrong?"

"I…want to make sure mommy is…is okay. I want to go see…see her. Please let me go see her."

"Tony, I told you the doctor said your mom is going to be okay."

Tony tried to wipe the tears as they started to fall down his cheeks. "P…please, you don't understand. I…I."

"Tony what is it?"

"I…I remember."

"You remember what?"

"I…I remember those men hitting mommy's car. I…I remember us go…going down the hill."

"You saw the men who hit our car?"

Tony just nodded.

"Son…why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I…I j…just remembered it now."

"Tony this is important. Do you remember what they look like?"

"Yes...yes."

"How many of them were there?"

"There were two…two men."

"Were they white?"

"Uh-huh…"

"What color was their hair?"

"The…the man driving the c…car had hair like you…you do and the other man's hair was b…black and long."

"Tony is there anything else you can tell me about them?"

Tony thought about it for a few seconds. "The man with the b…black hair had a pic…picture of the w…world and bird on his…his arm. It was on his arm right h…here." Tony pointed to his arm.

"Tony if I took you to NCIS do you think you can give Abby a description of these men and look through some photos for me?"

"Uh-huh."

Gibbs plans had now changed. He dropped Kelly off at the hospital and he and Tony headed to NCIS.

_**Washington DC…**_

Sam D. Dye was sitting in his office. He was going over the morning reports when his secretary called to let him know that Secretary of the Navy Clayton Jarvis had just arrived and he was now waiting outside. Dye told her to send him in immediately. He stood up and reached out to shake Jarvis' hand and invited him to sit down.

"Clayton it has been a while since I last saw you. I was surprised when you called me."

Jarvis smiled, "Can't an old friend just stop and see say hi?"

Dye smiled back. He knew the only reason Jarvis was here was to gloat and rub it in. He really did hate this man and he couldn't wait to get rid of him…

_**NCIS…**_

Gibbs left Tony with Abby while he went to talk with Vance and his team. It didn't take Tony long to give the Goth a good description of what the two men looked like that had ran his mom and him off the road. Abby was very impressed because the boy had such a good memory. While Abby was busy running the face recognition program, Tony was just sitting at Abby's desk. He was staring at what she had written on his cast. _"To mini Gibbs, great job!"_ And underneath the words she had drawn a bat with the name Abby next to it.

Tony liked Abby a lot because he thought she was so funny and cool. He had never met anyone like her before. He wondered if there were more people like her.

A few seconds later, Gibbs and Vance walked into the lab with McGee following closely behind them. Gibbs was carrying a file in his hand. He placed it down on the desk in front of his son, "Tony, I need you to look through these pictures and tell me if you recognize anything or anyone in them."

The boy opened up the file and started to going through the pictures. A couple of them were from the mall's parking lot. Tony looked at those pictures closely. He saw his mother's car and he also saw the car that had run them off the road. "D…Dad, that's the car that hit…hit our car."

Gibbs looked at the car and could tell it was a 2011 Black Ford Explorer. He couldn't make the license plate because a bush was blocking it in both of the pictures. Gibbs ordered McGee to go and check the videotape from the mall's parking lot again and see if he can get the number of the license plate from it. When Gibbs was finished talking to McGee, he noticed his son was staring at a certain picture. "Tony what is it?"

"D…Dad that's the man I…I saw driving the car that hit our car."

Both Vance and Gibbs looked at the picture. It was Vance who spoke first, "Gibbs I know this man, he is Clayton Jarvis's chauffeur. His name is John Withers and he has been working for Jarvis for over ten years."


	20. Chapter 20

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them. They have helped me to know if I am on the right track or not with my stories.

Here is the second to the last chapter. I am going to go ahead and post both chapters at the same time. I needed to finish this story because I need to concentrate on my husband's health right now. I must warn you that things are going to start moving fast near the end of this chapter but I did plan it to go this way. I hope you do like.

_**Chapter 20**_

Tony just sat there and listened quietly as his dad and Director Vance talked for a few minutes about some man. Vance finally turned and looked at the boy. He smiled and thanked Tony for all his help. He then asked Gibbs to follow him to his office because he needed to talk with him about a few more things. Gibbs told Tony to stay with Abby and he would be back shortly.

_**Vance Office…**_

Vance stared at the picture for a few seconds longer before he put it down on his desk. He remembered the day the photo was taken. The Secretary of the Navy Clayton Jarvis was waiting on the dock as one of the damaged ships made its way to the Norfolk Naval Base. Clayton Jarvis had brought along his entourage with him because he wanted to make sure the news media saw he was there. The photo showed John Withers standing just a few feet behind him. This chauffeur was also one of his personal bodyguards. If Vance remembered correctly John Withers was once an ex marine that worked in the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command (MARSOC). This was a man you would not want to mess with.

"Leon I don't care who this bastard is and what he was trained for. I want nothing more than to get my hands on him."

"Gibbs that is the reason I can't allow you to go and arrest him. You are too close to this case."

"Leon this bastard almost killed Shannon and Tony."

"Gibbs, listen to me. I know you and I know how much your family means to you. I can't allow you to go anywhere near this investigation. I want John Withers brought in alive and in one piece so we can interrogate him. We need to find out who else is involved with these fires and why they did it before anything else happens."

"Leon…he hurt my wife and son."

"Gibbs I can understand how you feel. I would feel the same way myself. As your friend I am telling you to take your son and go home. Go visit your wife in the hospital. As your boss, I am ordering you to stay the hell away from here. If I do see you anywhere around here I am going to arrest you. Do I make myself clear?"

Gibbs just stood there and stared at him for a few seconds before he walked out of the office. He knew Vance was right because if he got his hands a hold of John Withers right now, he would probably kill him. He knew in his other life he would not care if he went to jail or not. In this life he had a wife and son who needed him right now and his priorities had changed.

_**The Chase…**_

John Withers was heading to see Sam Dye. Dye had called him because he wanted to go over some plans with him. The ex marine had just gotten onto New York Ave NW when he noticed that he was being followed. He drove at a normal speed for a distance because he didn't want them to know he knew. As the car following him got a little closer he started to pick up a little speed. It wasn't long before they were in a high-speed chase. Withers laughed because he had been trained for situations like this and he knew if he could make it to this one place up ahead he could lose them with no problem.

_**The Hospital…**_

It was late in the afternoon; Gibbs had just gotten off his cellphone with Brooks. He was angry with himself because he had just found out Withers had managed to elude them. Gibbs knew he should never have let Vance order him to stay away. He knew if he had gone he could have prevented Withers from escaping. Right now, there wasn't much he could do because it was going to be harder to find this man. John Withers was now aware they were after him and Gibbs knew Withers knew how to disappear if he wanted to.

As he stood outside Shannon's room, he could hear her laughing and talking with her son and mother. He smiled, the only good news he had was that Shannon was doing much better and the doctor's were talking about her being able to go home in two days. She was all excited because she was tired of lying around and being cooped up in this place. She just wanted to go home to be with her family.

_**That Night…**_

It was around midnight, Gibbs was lying in his bed and he was having trouble sleeping. His mind kept going back over everything that happened today. He was still angry with himself for listening to Vance. He should have gone with his team.

Gibbs was also worried about Shannon and Tony and how he was going to take care of them. He knew at the moment they were the most important people to him. Shannon was going to be coming home in two days. She was going to be solely dependant on other people to help her get around. As for Tony he needed help with some of the simplest thing until the cast comes off his arm.

At the moment, he had his father, Shannon's mother and Kelly to help him. But in a few days Kelly would have to head back home and to her studies. His father could only stay for one more week. His friend who was watching the store for him was going to be going on a preplanned vacation and would not be able to watch the store for him any longer. Joann said she could stay for at least two more weeks but then she would have to head home herself.

Gibbs knew he wasn't going to get any sleep so Gibbs decided to get up and go work in the basement. He had been planning to make his son a tree house. He had bought all the material that he was going to need but never got to start the project.

As Gibbs was trying to figure where to start, he sensed he was not alone. He looked around and didn't see anything. He finally said, "Tony, are you here?"

"_Yah, Boss it's just me."_

Gibbs watched as the adult Tony materialized before him. "With your son's help we were able to find out who one of the bastards was that ran Shannon and Tony off the road. It seems that man is also involved with an investigation I have been working on. When my team went to arrest the bastard and he managed to escape.

"_What are you going to do about it?"_

Gibbs leaned back against the worktable and smiled, "Right now, I can't do much. I was ordered by Director Vance to stay away because he says I am too close to the case. Shannon is going to be coming home from the hospital in a couple of day and I am going to have my hands full taking care of Shannon and Tony because Kelly, Jackson and Joann will be going home soon."

Tony smiled, _"Boss, I know in this life your family comes first but I also know it's going to bother you until the bastard is behind bars or six feet under."_

Gibbs rubbed his face. He was tired and having trouble thinking. "Tony, what should I do?"

The apparition moved closer until he was within two feet of Gibbs' face. Tony smiled, _"Boss…for once why don't you worry about your family...sometimes there is nothing wrong with you just letting others save the world."_

Gibbs laughed, "That is what Vance told me to do but not in those words."

Gibbs went to pickup some wood.

"_Boss, I would help you with that but you know I can't lift anything right now because I am a ghost and I just haven't figure out how to do that type of stuff just yet."_

"Tony you have had nine years to learn."

"_Boss, I can't help it if I am a slow learner."_

Gibbs just shook his head as he started to work on the tree house. After a while he could tell something was bothering Tony. He finally stopped what he was doing to look at his friend.

"DiNozzo what is bothering you?"

"_It's nothing…Boss."_

"It's something if you are quiet. What is it?"

Tony looked like he didn't want to say anything but then he finally said, _"Boss, I sometimes get these strange feelings that I am living in another place and time. I feel I am here with you and my son. Sometimes I feel there is just darkness and nothing else. I have also sometimes felt I am somewhere else. I can hear voices but I can't make out who they are or what they are saying. I just…don't…understand."_

Gibbs wasn't sure how to answer that so he went back to working on the tree house and Tony just sat there quietly and watched him. When daybreak finally came Tony disappeared again.

_**Two miles from the Chesapeake Bay…**_

Sam Dye had wanted to meet in a little more isolated area and away from the ships. He had given Withers his coordinates of where he was going to be anchored. He stood there and watched as John Withers boarded the yacht. He wasn't aware at the time that Withers was on the run. He handed the man his drink and invited him to sit down.

"Dye…NCIS is after me. I need some money to get out of the country."

Dye looked pissed. "Why should I give you any money? You are not my responsibility."

Withers stood up and said with anger, "Because if you don't give me that money. I promise you I am not going down alone. If they catch me I am going to squeal like a pig."

"Withers, I have already given you a lot of money and I am not going to give you anymore. You should have enough already to get out of the country on your on. Now get the hell off my yacht if you are not going to help with my plans."

John Withers smiled at the man as he pulled out his gun and shot him between the eyes. He went and found the only other person on the boat and killed him also. He found some gasoline and set fire to the boat. He jumped into his boat and drove away. He didn't bother to look back. He now had only one thing left to do. He was going to kill Gibbs and his family. He knew if he didn't get him that NCIS agent would eventually track him down.

_**Two Days Later…**_

Little Tony stayed home with Jackson while Gibbs and Kelly went to pick up Shannon and Joann at the hospital. Shannon was so happy to finally be coming home. She almost cried when she saw the big sign that was welcoming her home.

Gibbs helped her into the living room and into the recliner chair so she could elevate her leg. She was surprised to see Tony's smaller bed in the living room. Gibbs told her he put it down here so she wouldn't have to climb those stairs and Tony that would be bunking with him until she could. Shannon seemed to be pleased with that because she had dreaded trying to climb those stairs. Gibbs also warned her that she would be sleeping in the same room as Jackson since the older man was sleeping on the couch. He told Shannon that he didn't want any hanky-panky business going on. He watched as his father turned all kinds of shades of red and the rest of the family just started laughing. Little Tony just stood there wondering what hanky-panky meant.

A few days later and it was time for Kelly to head back to California. She hated to leave her injured mother but she couldn't afford to miss any more classes. Jackson and Joann decided to take her to the airport see her off. One of the agents drove them there.

Gibbs had said his goodbyes to his daughter before she left the house; he was going to stay with Shannon and Tony and take care of them. A few minutes after they left, the pharmacy called and told Gibbs Tony's pain medicine was ready. It would only take him a few minutes so he decided to go ahead and get it. He let the agents who were guarding the house know that he should be back shortly.

It didn't take him long to get his medicine. He was back at the house in about fifteen minutes. As he was getting out of the car his gut was telling him that something was very wrong. He ran toward his house when he noticed the two agents who were supposed to be guarding them were missing. He pulled out his gun. As he neared the back door, an explosion went off and he was blown back against a tree.

As he laid on the ground he felt like his head was going to explode. He thought he saw Ziva running toward him. He was getting confused. He found he was no longer in his backyard; he was in what looked like a warehouse. He could hear sirens from a distance. He thought he heard Ziva yelling to somebody. His life seemed to pass before his eyes. He saw images of his mom and dad. He saw his Shannon and Kelly's grave. He saw himself and little Tony playing in the water. He saw all the people who he knew that were dead or were still alive. He saw images of McGee being shot. He saw the image of Tony lying in a pool of blood. He watched himself bend down and check Tony's pulse and couldn't find one. He saw himself close his eyes and whisper, "DiNozzo, I am so sorry..." That was the last thing he saw before he passed out.


	21. Chapter 21

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favs and Follow. I really enjoy reading them. They did help me to know if I am on the right track with my stories or not.

Here is the last chapter. I do hope you like.

_**Chapter 21**_

_**Hospital…**_

Gibbs felt like hell and he wondered if he had drunk too much Bourbon last night and hit his head against the worktable. The lights were very bright and bothering his eyes. He could hear people walking around the room. He finally yelled out to whoever it was, "Will you please turn off or dim those damn lights before they blind me."

He could also hear some very familiar voices calling to him. It took him a while but he finally managed to open his eyes. He saw a very happy and relieved Abby. She was just smiling at him. He also could see Ducky standing directly behind her.

"Jethro it is so good for you to finally join us. We were starting to wonder if you were ever going to wake up."

Gibbs looked around the room and realized he was in a hospital. "What happened? How long have I been here?"

"You have been in a coma for almost six weeks."

"Six weeks? That can't be right can…can it?"

"I am afraid so my dear friend."

He saw a flashback of the explosion. He had to ask, "Is Shan…Shannon okay? Please tell me Shannon is okay?"

Abby looked at Ducky and then back at Gibbs. Her eyes had started to water, "Gibbs, I am so sorry but Shannon is dead. Don't you remember?"

"What about Tony is he dead too?"

Ducky smiled, "No Jethro, our boy is very much alive. It took the paramedics a while but they did manage to revive him. The doctor was worried he might have suffered some brain damage because of the lack of oxygen. They had to put him in a medically induced coma for a while. Anthony has been through a rough time these past six weeks but he is still alive."

Gibbs tried to sit up, "I need to see him."

It was Ducky who pushed him back down. "Jethro, you are not going anywhere. You just woke up from a coma. You need to rest. Maybe if everything looks good in the morning your doctor will allow you to see him."

Gibbs acted like he wasn't going to listen, "No, I need to see Tony now. I need to know he is…."

As he tried to get up his doctor injected something into his IV. Gibbs fell back to sleep.

_**Gibb's Visit…**_

When Gibbs woke up next, it was morning. His doctor started asking him questions about the date and if he knew where he was. Gibbs having trouble with the date but he knew where he was. He was also able to answer most of the questions after that. When the doctor was satisfied, he told Gibbs that he could go see Tony but only for a few minutes.

As they entered the room, Ducky warned Gibbs that Tony was sleeping because he had just come out of the medically induced coma only two days ago. Abby wheeled Gibbs into Tony's room. Ducky followed closely behind them. When Gibbs finally saw Tony he was shocked. There lying in the hospital bed was a very adult Tony. If it wasn't for the bandage on his head, he looked like he was just sleeping.

McGee was sitting by the bed playing a game on his I-phone. He was happy to see Gibbs being wheeled into the room, "Hi Boss, it's good to see you awake. I had stopped by your room a couple of times yesterday but you were always asleep."

Gibbs just nodded at McGee because he was still confused and he didn't want anyone to know it because they might think he was crazy. Was this all just a dream? He should have realized it because it started with a wish. What a fool he had been to believe wishes come true.

Gibbs asked Abby to move him closer to the bed. It was his adult Tony and he was never so happy to see him. Gibbs just sat there and stared at Tony for a few minutes. He wasn't sure what to do. He reached out to touch his hand but stopped.

"Jethro, I promise you our boy is going to be alright. Tony is just sleeping right now."

"Gibbs, it is so good to see you are finally awake." Gibbs turned as he heard Ziva's voice. He watched as she walked into the room with two coffees. She handed one to McGee and kept the other one for herself.

"I don't…understand. I thought Tony died in the warehouse?"

Ziva moved closer to her boss and looked down at him, "Gibbs…how much do you remember about the warehouse?"

Gibbs rubbed his head, "The last thing I remember…I think…saw Tony lying in a pool of blood. I didn't feel a pulse. I…I thought he was dead."

Ziva knelt so she could be more eye level with him, "After the shooting, you told me to stay with McGee but Agent Balboa and his team had finally arrived. You had been gone for a while and I…had to find out if you were okay or not. I…I also needed to find out what happened to Tony. It was a good thing I went to look for you because the man who hit you was going to kill you. I got him before he did it."

"What…what about Tony? How is it that he is still alive?"

"When the paramedics arrived they found Tony had a pulse, but barely. They managed to keep him alive till they got him to the hospital. While you were in a coma, Tony was in and out of surgeries. Most of the time he was in a medically induced coma and fighting for his life. We didn't know if he was going to make it or not but as you…can…see he won his battle."

For the next couple of days Tony slept an awful lot. Every time Gibbs went to see the younger man he was sound asleep. Gibbs was beginning to wonder if everyone had been lying to him all along and that Tony had never woke up from the coma. It was on the third day with the permission of his doctor Gibbs went to see Tony by himself. He found the younger man sleeping as usual. He walked over and pushed one of the chairs nearer to the bed and sat down. Gibbs sat there for about thirty minutes just staring at the younger man when a nurse walked in and asked him if needed anything. He told her that he was fine so she just check her patient's vitals and left the room.

As Gibbs sat in the chair he finally felt he was being watched. "Okay DiNozzo, I know you are awake. I think it is time you open your eyes."

Gibbs watched as the younger man tried his best to open his eyes. Finally he saw the green eye's staring at him.

"Boss…I see you…are finally awake."

Gibbs smiled, "Ditto to you also."

"Ziva and Mc…McGee told me but I didn't believe it. I kept thinking you were dead and they were just telling me that so I would get better."

Gibbs smiled again. "Another ditto."

"Boss…are you going to be okay? I was worried about…you."

"Yes, I am going to be okay and I was worried about you also."

Gibbs watched as the younger man tried to get a little more comfortable. "DiNozzo do you want me to raise the bed a little for you?"

"Yes…"

Gibbs stood up and found the control panel. He pushed the button and raised the bed up just a little higher. "Is this okay?"

Tony just nodded as Gibbs handed him the control panel. The older man just sat back down in the chair.

It was quiet for a few seconds until Tony finally spoke, "Boss…please don't laugh at me but while I was in a coma I had some pretty strange dreams. I dreamed I died and came back as a ghost. I also dreamed that I was a father and that you were the one raising my son."

Gibbs just stared at him for a few seconds. He was trying to figure out how it was possible for both of them to have shared the same dream while each of them were in a coma? "Tony…what else do you remember?"

Tony looked at him and could tell Gibbs was not laughing at him but the older man seemed to be real interested in what he had to say. "Boss, I…I remember I was married to Wendy and she killed herself after I died. My son had a really bad life in foster homes. I use to visit him just to be there because he had nobody. You found him and adopted him and was raising him as your own."

Tony stopped talking so he could see what Gibbs reaction was to what he had just said. He expected Gibbs to start laughing but instead Gibbs was just sitting quietly and was thinking. Tony started to feel uncomfortable so he tried to laugh it off. "Do you think Doctor Kate's sister would think it is a father never said I love you situation?"

Gibbs looked at Tony, "No Tony she wouldn't know what to say because I had the same dream while I was in my coma. How do you explain that?"

Both men just sat there and stared at each other for the longest time…

_**Gibbs House…**_

A few weeks later, Gibbs was back at work on light duty. Tony was finally released from the hospital. He was going to be staying with Gibbs for a little while until he could move around a little better.

Gibbs decided to have a cookout to celebrate Tony finally getting out of the hospital. He invited the whole gang. It was starting to get dark outside and they were all sitting out on the porch talking. Gibbs and Ducky were talking about old times. Every now and then they would stop and listen to the younger people talking. Gibbs smiled when he heard Tony arguing with McGee and Jimmy about the difference between watching a football game on the big screen and being there to watch it in person. Abby and Ziva were talking about going to a Pilates' class together next week.

It was Abby who spotted it first and yelled, "Look a shooting star. We all need to close our eyes and make a wish."

When Abby opened her eyes she turned and looked at Gibbs, "Gibbs if you could have one wish what would it be?"

Gibbs thought about it for a few minutes and then said, "I don't need a wish because I already have everything I want right here."

* * *

_**Author's Notes…**_

I hope you did like this story. I know there was a lot of confusion at times. I got the idea of this story from watching "Baltimore" and "Life Before His Eyes". In "Baltimore", I wondered what would have happened to Tony if Gibbs had never met or hired him? In "Life Before His Eyes", it made me wonder what would have happen if Shannon was wrong and they all manage to live. I know Gibbs would have been a great father and husband. I think Kelly would have grown up into a beautiful and very smart woman.

I know there were a lot of you who wanted more Tony and for that I am sorry. I felt because Tony wasn't really dead I couldn't have him always there. I really didn't want you to know what was going on so I decided to introduce his son instead. Little Tony to me was sort of an extension of Tony. I have always loved the Gibbs/father and Tony/son stories and I have always wanted to do one. Anyway I want to thank all the reviewers for taking the time to review and also you're comments. I really appreciated them.


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